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HEARD AT HALFTIME: Coe on Kenya and doping: “The Russian situation is entirely different” + weightlifting starts a new era

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

● Athletics ● During our online time with World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe last week, he was asked if Kenya – with 57 individuals on the ineligibles list at present – should be treated more like Russia, which currently has 91.

His answer was no:

“The Russian situation is entirely different. Yes, we have our challenges in Kenya, and as you know, the Athletics Integrity Unit no longer sits there having countries on watch lists. We do it now according to risk, and the number of athletes that are at a high level. And that’s a good way of doing it.

“Russia for me is an entirely different situation. That was, and we all know now, that that was supported at the level that went way, way beyond member federations. And some of the charges that we had to deal with, and the damage that was caused through that, was really important. It was really a massive issue.

“The Athletics Integrity Unit [is] not sitting there just wanting to penalize countries. We’re actually trying to create structures, and Kenya is a good example. It wasn’t possible to have any blood analysis in Kenya; most of that had to go out of the country and certainly, actually, even out of the continent. We’ve been able to fund, in large part, a laboratory in Nairobi where we can do these tests now.

“The Kenyan federation, under its chair, Jackson Tuwei, works incredibly closely with us and the Athletics Integrity Unit. I don’t need to speak for them, they’ll speak for themselves, that there is a lot of shift in Kenya at the moment. We have some challenges around just the number of athletes that are out there and our new approach to anti-doping controls on the road is really important. I’m really grateful to the Marathon Majors and some of our Gold Label races for agreeing to contribute to that.

“I’m not glossing over some of the challenges we have in these countries, but I see that in a very, very different light, given the history of that challenge that we had to deal with in Russia.”

Coe also talk about the postponement of Olympic qualifying mark to 1 December of this year, which has been criticized in some quarters:

“We wanted to make sure that the athletes, when they did come back – there’s a very big difference here between wanting to get them back in competition and getting them into the kind of shape and specificity at the same time – to allow them to be on that level playing field and not giving some of them opportunities way beyond those that are available to others.

“The reality of it is, we don’t know. We really, genuinely, do not know. We’ve tried, as I’ve said through national championship windows, we’ve tried through, you know, some of the Bislett-type initiatives to keep this going, but look, we do not know for sure whether we are going to be able to do any of this. And the reality of it is, I just think we have to be very careful that we didn’t create a landscape where some of the athletes coming back from good, lengthy periods of training, specificity that I talked about, getting straight back into competition and gaining Olympic qualification status, while others probably wouldn’t be able to do that until significantly later in the year, if at all.

“There is another consideration, of course, and that is around our anti-doping process. You know, I am not going to do into massive detail, but it’s hardly going to be a surprise when I say to you that they have been disrupted. And we need to make sure that with Olympic qualification goes, at least a good chunk of certainty that those systems are up and running and optimal again.”

There is some positive news – sort of – in athletics, with the announcement in Oslo (NOR) that although the 2020 Bislett Games will not be held on 11 June, “The Impossible Games” will be staged instead.

This is a one-hour television exhibition drummed up by the Bislett Alliance, with events schedule in the men’s 300 m hurdles, pole vault and discus and women’s 100 m, 600 m, 3,000 m and 200 m hurdles.

Hurdles superstar Karsten Warholm (NOR) will be trying for a world-best mark in the 300 m hurdles; Mondo Duplantis (SWE) and Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen will compete in the vault in Oslo while France’s Renaud Lavillenie will jump from his backyard pit in France and Sweden’s World Champion in the discus, Daniel Stahl, will throw against two others.

There will be no fans in the stadium. Pretty wild, but why not?

World Athletics announced last Thursday that the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene (7 June) and the Meeting de Paris (13 June) have also been postponed. The first meet on the calendar now is in London on 4 July. The 2020 European Championships, scheduled for Paris (FRA) from 25-30 has been canceled completely; the 2022 edition will be held in Munich (GER).

Track is coming back in the Czech Republic in a limited way in June. The Czech federation announced last Thursday that the Odlozil Memorial in Prague will be held as scheduled on 8 June with 50-60 athletes in total and no more than 40 people on the field of play at any one time.

The program, as of now, will be limited to the men’s 100 m, 200 m, 1,500 m, 110 m hurdles, long jump and javelin, and the women’s 800 m and javelin.

Further, with the Czech government allowing stadiums to reopen for limited use on 1 June – with a limit of 50 people – the Czech Athletics Federation is creating a “Back on the Track” program, with six “micro-meets” to be held. The first would be on 1 June in Kladno and will include the women’s javelin with Olympic star Barbora Spotakova scheduled to compete.

Also, special competitions for youth are being arranged in 100 stadiums on 1 June, in accordance with the local health rules to “re-start” the track & field season. An additional five elite meets will be added to the schedule in the coming days.

Further to our report on our interview with Coe came this comment from Jody Cleveland of The Athletics Report:

“Sebastian Coe complemented the USA World Champs superiority, however one must remember the USA, despite a lack of domestic popularity, has a big training advantage over the rest of the world. The college system or NCAA Track & Field (semi-pro league) program supported by the colleges is unique worldwide and prepares athletes for competitive dominance on the world stage. It’s a fairly obvious advantage. How many NCAA champions go on to become world or Olympic champs?”

Cleveland is quite right about this, but it’s also worth pointing out that 20-25% of each year’s NCAA outdoor T&F scorers are foreign-born and do not compete internationally for the U.S. Perhaps the most amazing, unduplicated advantage for the U.S. in track, swimming and a host of other sports is the amazing high school sports system available nationwide.

● Football ● FIFA confirmed that it will begin sending “operational funding due to member associations for the years 2019 and 2020 in the coming days as the first step of a relief plan to assist the football community impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The first series of payment will include $150 million to 211 national federations worldwide. According to the FIFA statement:

“Under normal circumstances, FIFA’s member associations would have only received the full amount of the contribution upon fulfillment of specific criteria. Instead, FIFA is now transferring this amount as an active support to help safeguard football across all member associations.

“Concretely, this means that FIFA will release USD 500,000 to each member association in the coming days as well as any remaining entitlement for 2019 and 2020.”

On Monday, FIFA proposed a rule change for the remainder of the 2020 season and the 2020-21 season, to allow five substitutes during a game instead of the traditional three.

“When competitions resume, such competitions are likely to face a congested match calendar with a higher-than-normal frequency of matches played in consecutive weeks. Safety of the players is one of FIFA’s main priorities. One concern in this regard is that the higher-than-normal frequency of matches may increase the risk of potential injuries due to a resulting player overload.”

The change must be voted in by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), but the concept should get a warm reception.

UEFA announced that the 2021 European Women’s Championship is being moved to 2022 in order to avoid scheduling conflicts with the postponed 2020 Olympic Games and the 2020 European Men’s Championship.

● Weightlifting ● The resignation of long-time weightlifting chief Tamas Ajan of Hungary is quickly leading to major changes at the International Weightlifting Federation.

Acting President Ursula Papandrea of the U.S., also the head of USA Weightlifting, posted a lengthy message to the weightlifting community last Thursday that:

(1) Signaled the move of the IWF headquarters fully to Lausanne, Switzerland, and away from an office run by Ajan in Budapest; Papandrea noted “I have a goal to be fully functional in Lausanne by January 2021.”

(2) Appointed USA Weightlifting’s highly-regarded chief executive, Phil Andrews (GBR) as IWF Deputy Director General, and help with the search for a permanent IWF Director General (for which Andrews will not be eligible) and part-time Chief Financial Officer.

(3) Further developed the process of handing its anti-doping programs to completely independent, outside organizations, to remove any doubt about influence, reviews or funding. She noted that the IWF “signed the agreement with CAS ADD (Court of Arbitration of Sports Anti-Doping division, which is a separate Division of CAS) to hear and decide anti-doping cases as a first instance authority upon written delegation of powers from the IOC, ITA, and other WADA signatories.”

(4) In view of Ajan’s 44 years of devoted service to weightlifting, he was recognized as an “Honorary Ambassador of Weightlifting.”

(5) Noted the McLaren Global Sport Solutions report on the allegations made against Ajan and others in the ARD television documentary “Lord of the Lifters” in January is expected to be delivered on 4 June. An interim report was made to the IWF on 22 April (but has not been released).

(6) The IWF Executive Board approved a combination of a special projects fund with its development fund to form a pool of money that can be applied for by national federations for financial relief from the COVID-19 impact.

It’s a good start for a federation whose future has been uncertain for some time.

● World Games ● To the surprise of absolutely no one, the 11th World Games has been moved from 2021 to 2022 with new dates of 7-17 July, but remaining in Birmingham, Alabama (USA).

This is a good move for the International World Games Association and the Birmingham organizers, but now creates a new problem: two major events in “Birmingham” a couple of weeks apart in 2022.

The World Games in Alabama will finish on 17 July, but the XXII Commonwealth Games will begin on 27 July and run to 7 August in Birmingham, England!

● International Olympic Committee ● The IOC’s program of subsidies to National Olympic Committee for travel expenses prior to the Games and Games-related operating costs was increased from $46.7 to $57.0 million, as of last week.

The funds will be distributed based on applications from any of the 206 National Olympic Committees eligible to participate in the Tokyo Games in 2021.

The IOC had already announced another $15 million in athlete support, specifically in athlete scholarships for the Games, team support grants and refugee athlete support.

● At the BuZZer ● Sport may have stopped, but bidding never does. Doha (QAT) and Riyadh (KSA) have signaled their interest in the 2030 Asian Games, with the winner to be announced (as of now) on 29 November.

This will be an interesting choice. The two countries continue to be embroiled in a diplomatic struggle – since 2017 – with the Saudis leading a boycott of Qatar over its relations with groups considered by the Saudis and others as terrorists. Doha has hosted the Asian Games previously, in 2006, but Riyadh has never hosted an event of this scale before.

(Thanks to sharp-eyed reader Barry Schreiber for noting a typo on the abbreviation for Saudi Arabia: KSA and not RSA.)

LANE ONE: Coronavirus could impact the path forward for Nassar survivors, especially if Tokyo Games is canceled

By
Rich Perelman
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One of the few absolutely true statements being made about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is that there is no way to know how it will impact our future, individually and collectively.

The survivors of the Larry Nassar sex-abuse tragedy could very well be looking at a different future in terms of their claims against USA Gymnastics and others, most especially if the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games cannot be held as re-scheduled in 2021.

Here’s the situation:

● On 21 February, USA Gymnastics filed an 88-page amended plan of re-organization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana, which must be accepted by the claimants to become active.

● On the same day, the federation filed a 183-page Disclosure Statement to explain the plan, which includes an option of agreed-upon damages, and a reserve for future claims, of $217.125 million to 10 different classes of claimants, including survivors of Nassar’s abuse.

All parties have an opportunity to comment on the Disclosure Statement, which will be revised based on a hearing on specific objections, and must be approved by the Court to allow a vote on the plan to take place. That hearing has been put off indefinitely due to the inability for the arguments to be made in-person before Bankruptcy Judge Robin Moberly.

● The Disclosure Statement itself, once finally approved by the Court, offers three options for the Claimants to vote on: (1) against the plan, in which case various options are available, including dismissal of the Bankruptcy filing, a liquidation of USA Gymnastics, or assembly of a different plan; (2) approval of the plan, including the Settlement Option, in which the $217.125 million will be paid out to the claimants, or (3) approval of the plan, but with a Litigation Option, in which each claimant must file individually against USA Gymnastics and anyone else desired, in a race to see who can get the most money first.

● Attorneys for 256 or more of the 517 abuse claimants immediately signaled objections to the Settlement Election in comments to news media, and then filed for a paid “financial advisor” to examine the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s “financial condition or its ability to make a contribution of its own funds as consideration for its release while maintaining viability to fulfill its mission.”

The Court dismissed the request to hire the financial advisor, but the filing showed that the ultimate goal of the attorneys for the claimants is to attack the assets of the USOPC to try and get more money at trial.

● The USOPC’s financial situation is not in much doubt at present. It’s 2018 financial statements showed $594 million in assets, including about $495 million in cash and investments. Of that total, $295 million is held in the U.S. Olympic Endowment and is the legacy of the USOPC’s share of the surplus from the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

However, the coronavirus pandemic is changing the situation by the day.

Last Tuesday, USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland sent a letter to the U.S. National Governing Bodies noting cuts of 10-20% at the USOPC itself and warning that if the Tokyo Games did not take place in 2021 – for whatever reason – the impact could be enormous:

“We have to fully understand what that possibility would mean for our organization, so we certainly have considered it and evaluated it. The impact of cancellation would be devastating to our athletes, first and foremost, but also to our financial health and stability. We would survive such a scenario, but the impact would be severe.”

In an accompanying note, Hirshland explained that the U.S. Olympic Endowment money isn’t being used now, because it might be desperately needed later:

“We need to retain the ability to deal with things getting significantly more difficult, for example if there were a cancellation of the Tokyo Games.”

The USOPC asked the U.S. Congress for $200 million from the direct-payment stimulus package for athlete and NGB support, but was refused. Loan programs are available, but even the USOPC’s wealth will not be anywhere close to propping up the finances of the 50 U.S. governing bodies.

If the Tokyo Games takes place as planned in 2021, then the monies from television rights and sponsorships due to the USOPC would come as expected, but a year late. But if the coronavirus continues to pose significant problems worldwide, the decision to cancel will likely come about this time next year.

The vote by claim holders against USA Gymnastics on the plan of reorganization should come before then, but who knows how long it will be before the matter can be heard, the Disclosure Statement revised and the vote takes place? Then the Bankruptcy Court has to approve the plan and make it active.

Under the plan as proposed, the claimants in Class 6: Abuse Claims have $206.375 million on the table, rejected as wholly insufficient by attorneys for many members of the class. The offer includes payments to all 517 (non-duplicative) claims already filed:

● Class 6A: 66 elite gymnasts, who competed in USA Gymnastics events and were abused, would receive $1,250.757.58 each.

● Class 6B: 142 gymnasts, who were abused at competitions staged by others (but whose events were sanctioned by USAG), would receive $508,670.77 each.

● Class 6C: 284 claimants, some of whom are not gymnasts, who were abused in non-gymnastics settings, such as at Michigan State University, would receive $174.401.41 each.

● Class 6D: 25 “derivative” claimants, who are relatives or loved ones of individuals who were abused and are claiming injuries for themselves, and would receive $82.550.00 each.

If approved, each of the claimants would receive their damages “without the need to present evidence as to the merits of their claim or the amount of damages suffered.”

So, should the attorneys for the claimants try and delay the proceedings to see if the Olympic Games do take place in 2021? If so, the USOPC’s finances would be in much better shape.

But what if the Bankruptcy Court wants to move this matter along and forces a vote on a further-amended Disclosure Statement?

The 66 elite gymnasts who were abused by Nassar at USA Gymnastics events – about 13% of the total claims – have serious cases against the federation. But under the Litigation Election, they will have to prove their cases in court, in individual trials, and many of the verdicts will be appealed. The question of what responsibility USAG actually had and then what liability the USOPC had under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and under other applicable laws, is sure to be strongly contested.

The other 451 claims have a much poorer chance of recovery against USA Gymnastics, let alone the USOPC. Will the spectre of a possibly cash-poor USOPC influence their vote of the settlement vs. an individual lawsuit against USAG, the USOPC and others?

The coronavirus and the fate of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are now a part of this calculus.

In case you were wondering, the phrase “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” originated perhaps 2,000 years ago in the writings of the Greek scholar Plutarch, and in English as far back as John Capgrave‘s The Life of St Katharine of Alexandria, in 1450.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE BIG PICTURE: World Athletics chief Coe: “We’ve just got to get more one-day meetings going in the U.S.”

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

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) may be confined in his London home, but he’s hardly resting. As part of a continuing series of online interview sessions with news media from around the world, he spent 48 minutes taking questions from three American track & field writers.

His priorities?

“Much of my day is spent trying to figure out how to get the athletes back into competition again, safely and securely, and not do it in a way that offends the communities, or is in breach of any of the protocols being set down by governments, although that’s a very bearable approach, and given that I’m talking to all of you from the United States, that’s an interesting landscape for anybody that’s been so locked down – as my colleagues in Monaco have, you know, getting on for 50 days – it’s quite laissez-faire in some parts of the world.

“It’s important that we get the athletes back. We’ve had to make some adjustments, to this period of suspension to the [Olympic] qualification and that’s just to make sure we’ve got athletes coming back at roughly the right time, with the right anti-doping processes in place, and we haven’t got them coming back at various speeds, and that’s why we’ve also tried to create some structure for member federations around providing the dates for the second window of national championships, which is 8th and 9th of August. Look, in the end we may not be able to do as much as we want; we may have to re-schedule.

“But I think it’s important that we set ourselves the ambition of reinstating competition as quickly as we can. And I guess this has also not just given us the opportunity to run our own business here, and some of the innovation that we take into the new, post-pandemic world, but I think it gives us an even greater impetus to – you know, it’s Shakespeare, isn’t it – a fair stake in the flood. And if ever there has been a time for athletics to fill that void in physical inactivity that is besetting most advancing and advanced countries, the opportunity for us to get really down and dirty with some politicians here, you’ve got to get school sport back into the agenda. It’s pretty clear to me that that has been withering on the vine.”

Coe is also looking to the future, and he had a message for the U.S. track & field community:

“And moving forward, and I guess given who I’ve got on the call – and I know you’ll take this in good spirit – we’ve just got to get more one-day meetings going in the U.S. Now you are the powerhouse of track & field, your athletes consistently come back from World Championships as the leading nation, and NACAC makes a massive contribution, but the U.S. we know is the powerhouse. Too many of your athletes still walk around in relative anonymity in their hometowns, but can’t walk down the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich without being mobbed. (emphasis added)

“So we do, you know, need to get more one-day meetings going in the States, because it’s really important. We had 2014 Eugene [World] Junior Championships, 2016 [World Indoors] in Portland, we have ‘21, now ‘22 Eugene, which will be a great World Championships. We’ve got ‘28 [Olympics] in L.A. and we’ve got to use this as a stepping stone that can only happen if we get a greater critical mass of one-day meets going.

“You know, we just don’t want this to be a singular flow of U.S. athletes in May into Europe, important as that is. It has to be the other way around. You do, you know, have to have European athletes – top European athletes – also competing in the U.S. and we do have to give more opportunities for U.S. athletes to be earning their crust from shining sea-to-shining sea.” (emphasis added)

That comment led to a later question about the work of the new World Athletics Calendar Commission – which includes USATF Chief of High Performance Duffy Mahoney – and how the seasonal schedule needs to be revised into something that promotes the sport instead of leaving potential fans confused.

Coe has a lot to say about this:

“The guiding principle here for me is – I have said for a long time and we’ve all individually, collectively had these discussions; it’s one of those hardy perennials that’s always there in the coffee shops or the bars of our major championships – that [for] far too many, including the athletes, yourselves, me sometimes and our fans particularly, it’s very difficult to understand the rhythm and pace and nature of the season. You know it does seem to hop around – athlete welfare is important as you know – [but] you’ve got athletes one week in the Middle East, next week in China, flying over to Eugene, 8-10 time zones away.

“The overwhelming aim of this is to try and create more understanding in the season, and look, Diamond League was already a good example of some of the work we’ve been doing around that. You know, it wasn’t broken, but it just could have been so much better. And making sure that, for instance, we don’t have three Diamond League events all in a six or seven-day span. We’re trying to get them to be roughly between Thursday and Sunday and spaced a week apart.

“The windows we have created around our national championships are important because I spent far too much time on the phone to sort out warring parties that have suddenly got very angry because a member federation, without any prior notice, has moved a national championship right smack dab in the middle of a Diamond League period.

“We will want to create a calendar that also has some sanctions here, so that member federations and our one-day meetings which are an important part of our ecosystem, and then to make sure that we have other windows – and it’s not easy; it’s a sport that is multi-faceted, it’s not just one sport. We have the road, we have cross country, indoors, we have outdoors, we have juniors, we have youth competitions (and not a championship any more) and we have a lot of things to try and fit in.

“I think the work that we’ve done and we’re doing at the moment to try and at least create a rhythm and a pace in the season, so that when people sit and absorb athletics, they at least know what a competition means.”

He also touched on the World Athletics World Rankings, a program just in its infancy, but which Coe believes can have some important results for fan development:

“I think also the world-ranking lists will help here. I’ve always seen that as a really important marketing tool. We’re one of the few sports where you genuinely don’t know at any one point who is the no. 1. You never that doubt in tennis or in golf, and I want to have that marketing tool where you see a list of athletes on the starting line, with also a caption underneath [on TV] saying currently sitting third in the world, on the ranking list, and people need to know what it means when they win or they lose. Not every tennis player goes to Wimbledon thinking they are going to win, but you at least know that they go ranked no. 1 through to, you know, 200.

“Again, it’s allowing a bit more understanding, particularly for our fans.”

Coe, just re-elected for a second term as World Athletics President, also comments on the unique opportunity to expose the sport with major meets each year from 2021-25:

“We’re sort of lamenting the fact that we had to fit all sorts of things into odd shapes, and with new jigsaw. But actually the one thing I do take comfort from is, if you look at 2020, it’s in ruins for all intents and purposes – a write-off – we know that.

“But on the basis that we do get the Games up and away in ‘21, we then have the World Championships that will be center stage ‘22 – but also the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships that are great shop windows for our sport – but equally, if you then go into 2023, we have a World Championships in Budapest, we’re then center-stage again with athletics, because athletics is the no. 1 sport by some distance in an Olympic Games [in 2024] and then in ‘25 we’re back – we don’t have the venue yet – but we are back into a World Championship year. So, we do have the opportunity for four or five seasons where athletics sits center stage in a very virtuous part of the year for people to watch it. We need to build on that, we need to absolutely make sure we capitalize on every moment.

“People say, ‘oh well, you know, you’ve got three championships in one year.’ It wasn’t that long ago that everybody was lamenting that we don’t have enough athletics on television. Well, actually 2022 is a great opportunity. We’re going to have the best athletes in Eugene, we’re going to have a big chunk of those athletes in those Commonwealth countries performing again quite soon afterwards, and then again the European Championships, which – look at Berlin – were a massive shop window for the sport. So I am very comforted by the fact that that’s going to happen.”

Opportunity, yes, but with the outcome yet to be determined. Asked about the possibility of having a third World Championships added to the schedule – placing one in each non-Olympic year, Coe said he was open to it … sort of:

“I don’t think so at the moment. Let’s be really liberal about this and think about all these things now. This is the opportunity to do it.

“I think that’s one step at this moment too far, and organizing championships is – with all due respect – it’s not as easy as in some sports, where you have one arena, a ball and a couple of bats. It’s actually an inordinate piece of complexity.

“We would have to look at that in a different way, but let’s look at it. I don’t have any tightly prescripted views at the moment about what we’re able to sort of free-range over.”

Living in London, Coe is – of course – staying at home like everyone else. But the double Olympic champion does try to maintain some sort of training regimen:

“I do try to work out, and I do that early in the morning, because my days start really early. And you understand why, because trying to keep in touch with all of our major stakeholders, whether it’s our Area Presidents; I’ve got a Council where I’ve got people in Northern Mariana Islands right the way through to Manaus [Brazil] – it’s not that easy – so sometimes it can be a bit anti-social. I try not to just build it around my own comforts. I started my first conversation this morning was at 6:45 [London time] and at about 8 o’clock tonight, I should be able to finish and with a little bit of luck, I might be able to get onto a treadmill.”

Following 48 minutes taking questions, he then left to go to another live-streamed event where he was raising money for charity by doing two hours and six minutes on a treadmill!

LANE ONE: When you disassemble Max Siegel’s $4.2 million comp reported for 2018, it all comes back to Nike and the USATF Board

By
Rich Perelman
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Track and field insiders were agog on Wednesday when USA Track & Field’s Form 990 federal tax return was posted for 2018, showing chief executive Max Siegel with total compensation of $4,294,650, including $3.027 million for “retirement and other deferred compensation.”

So what is this all about?

In simple terms, it’s about the stunning Nike sponsorship agreement announced in April of 2014.

There’s a lot of accounting to go through to understand all of this, so have patience.

In that single deal – with the actual terms never released publicly – Nike promised to sponsor USATF to the tune of an estimated $500 million from 2018 through 2040. Most of this was in cash and part in-kind, such as for national team uniforms. Based on a review of the publicly-posted USATF financial statements, a reasonable estimation is that USATF has been receiving about $20 million in Nike sponsorship support annually, including a share of a $25 million “one-time commitment bonus” for the deal, paid out in 2014 ($15 million), 2015 ($5) and 2016 ($5), but spread – for accounting purposes – over the length of the deal.

With the commitment bonus averaging about $1.1 million a year, that leaves about $18.9 million annually in Nike support. That’s not all cash, since there is a significant in-kind commitment.

Over the last three years, Nike has provided $2.80 million (2016), $2.46 million (2017) and $1.83 million (2018) in in-kind product support. That leaves $16-17 million in actual cash payments by Nike – more or less – to USATF annually.

So where does the $3 million in deferred compensation to Siegel fit into this?

A note on page 22 of the 2018 USATF Financial Statements explains:

“Employment cost:
In 2018, USATF entered into compensation agreements with key members of management for their employment through December 31, 2021. Certain provisions of these agreements resulted in $3,000,000 being accrued as of December 31, 2018. The board has designated cash to be escrowed to cover the future minimum payments that will be paid as follows:”

The figures show that as of December 31 of the next four years, “minimum” payments will be made of:

● 31 Dec. 2019: $500,000
● 31 Dec. 2020: $500,000
● 31 Dec. 2021: $500,000
● 31 Dec. 2022: $1,500,000

The amount of $3 million is shown on the Statement of Activities as a “Non-Recurring Employment Cost.” That’s all clear.

It also explains the $3,000,000 deferred compensation amount on the Form 990 federal tax return for Siegel. Because the $3 million payment has been escrowed – set aside and not available for other purposes – it has to be shown as an expense in the year it was sequestered. And if you believe the federal return, all of that money will go to Siegel. The other $27,250 of the deferred compensation is clearly for retirement fund contributions and is in line with the federation’s contributions to others.

Some confusion on the timing has been introduced by a cover letter placed at the front of the 2018 financial statements on USATF letterhead, not that of CliftonLarsenAllen accounting firm which prepared the financial statements. The USATF letter reads in part:

“CEO current year reported compensation includes contractual deferred bonuses payable over a period of seven years through 2024. For accounting purposes, these bonuses were deemed earned in the current and prior years, but they will not be paid until the future years stated in the employment contract. This resulted in higher expense on the financial statements and deferred compensation being reflected on the Form 990, however the CEO has not yet received these future bonuses.”

The statement that payments are due to 2024 instead of 2022 as shown in the page 22 note in the actual financial statements must be explained. But the comment does shed more light on Siegel’s compensation program.

As USATF chief executive, his annual salary has ranged from about $500,000 annually from his hire in mid-2012 up to $611,014 in 2018. He received no bonus in 2013, but significant bonuses in each year since the Nike agreement was signed in 2014:

● 2014: $500,000
● 2015: $500,000
● 2016: $1,000,000
● 2017: $500,000
● 2018: $500,000

Combined with the $3 million he is to be paid through 2022 – per the financial statements – Siegel will receive bonuses of $6 million total from 2014-22.

Why?

The obvious explanation would be that this $6 million is a essentially USATF Board-approved “commission” for Siegel’s role in delivering the 23-year Nike agreement, worth about $400 million in total cash (and about $100 million in-kind) from 2018-2040, with $25 million paid early, from 2014-16.

What Siegel’s role in this deal was is not exactly clear. In a lengthy story about Siegel in October 2016, The Washington Post reported that then-Board chair Steve Miller “acknowledged that the deal that produced most of that new income — a long-term sponsorship agreement with Nike worth a reported $500 million — was primarily negotiated by two former Nike executives whose small consulting firm is collecting $23.75 million in commission payments from USA Track and Field through 2039.”

and

“Board chairman Miller, a former Nike executive, said the idea to approach Nike about a long-term extension did not come from Siegel. Instead, Miller said, the idea came from former Nike executives Adam Helfant and Chris Bevilacqua, friends of his, who contacted him not long after Siegel took over as CEO and asked for Miller to introduce them to Siegel. Helfant and Bevilacqua then led negotiations for USA Track and Field on the Nike deal, Miller said.”

But in a Sports Business Daily story announcing the deal in April 2014:

“USATF CEO Max Siegel said that the NGB reached out to Nike about extending its sponsorship after the ’12 London Games. He proposed negotiating a long-term deal to Nike because the organization wanted the stability such an agreement would provide.”

So, between the commissions to the former Nike execs and if the bonuses to Siegel are in fact another commission on the same deal, the cost of the possibly $400 million in cash and $100 million in in-kind support from Nike cost USATF about $30 million, or about six percent of the total deal.

Let’s be clear on this: while Siegel may have requested added compensation for bringing the Nike deal to fruition – Helfant and Bevilacqua’s terms – the USATF Board of Directors is the group responsible for agreeing to it. You can see here the minutes from USATF Board meetings back to 2009 and who was on the Board at each step of the way.

Don’t bother looking for approvals of these commissions; those are done in “Executive Session,” during which all personnel matters are reviewed, and which are not recorded in the minutes (of any corporation or association). Moreover, don’t look for even a mention of the Nike deal in the 2014 minutes … because there isn’t one! Amazing.

Certainly, when the Nike deal came through, there was great hope for even more significant sponsorships, but USATF has not signed a superstar new deal since. The financial statements show that much more than a majority of USATF’s total operating revenues come from two sponsors – Nike and Hershey – and grants from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee:

● 2013: $19.6 million ~ 63% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2014: $35.1 million ~ 80% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2015: $32.4 million ~ 73% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2016: $37.3 million ~ 65% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2017: $35.1 million ~ 68% from 2 sponsors and USOC
● 2018: $34.5 million ~ 72% from 2 sponsors and USOC

Note the major rise from 2013 to 2014, when the Nike deal came in, but the financial performance has leveled off since. But with the Nike agreement in hand, USATF’s total assets rose from $9.3 million in 2013 to $42.3 million in 2014, and now back to $39.9 million at the end of 2018.

There you have it, from as much information as could be pieced together from publicly-available sources and some confidential conversations with some folks in the know. If you were on the USATF Board, would you have given Siegel those bonuses annually from 2014-18 and then agreed in 2018 to $3 million more?

(If the financial statements are correct that the $3 million in bonuses from 2019-22 were agreed to by the Board in 2018, this could have been during the time that elected president Vin Lananna was suspended by the Board on 18 February 2018 for conflicts of interest with his then-position at TrackTown USA.)

That’s the question you have to ask yourself, and the former and current members of the USATF Board of Directors.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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HEARD AT HALFTIME: Are the IOC and Japan falling out of love? Can a Tokyo professor see the future? Yes, the USOPC is worried about money.

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

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● “The International Olympic Committee said Monday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe committed Japan to absorb its share of the additional costs for the postponed Tokyo Olympics but later retracted the remark at the request of the local organizing committee.”

That was the lead from a Kyodo News report from Tokyo on Tuesday, reporting the latest tizzy from the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games into 2021. The IOC posted a statement as part of its questions-and-answers page about the postponement noting:

“Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo agreed that Japan will continue to cover the costs it would have done under the terms of the existing agreement for 2020, and the IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the costs.

“For the IOC, it is already clear that this amounts to several hundred millions of dollars of additional costs.”

This drew a request from the Tokyo organizers to re-word the comment. Spokesman Masa Takaya said “What we are requesting to the IOC team is that the name of the Japanese Prime Minister should not be quoted, plus the IOC’s website should not express beyond what was agreed between the IOC and Tokyo 2020.” In fact, no specific discussions on costs have been held and the only decision was to hold the Games in 2021.

The new text on the IOC’s site now reads:

“The Japanese government has reiterated that it stands ready to fulfil its responsibility for hosting successful Games. At the same time, the IOC has stressed its full commitment to successful Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The IOC and the Japanese side, including the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, will continue to assess and discuss jointly about the respective impacts caused by the postponement.”

Comment: Yawn.

Another breathless report from Kyodo featured comments by Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious diseases at Kobe University, who told an online news conference:

“Japan might be able to control this disease by next summer…but I don’t think that would happen everywhere on earth. I’m very pessimistic…unless you hold the Olympic Games in total different structures, such as no audience or a very limited participation.”

Comment: As is the usual scenario in times of crisis and uncertainty, no one really knows anything. The coronavirus is a new strain, but reports indicate much wider testing and development work on possible vaccines is moving along. Governments worldwide are now heavily involved. References to standard development and testing procedures for new drugs are obsolete.

What is true is that the real answer of whether the Tokyo Games can be held in 2021 won’t be even approached until the end of this year. If athletes can train effectively throughout 2021, and the situation in Japan itself is under control, the opportunity to hold the Games is good. If not, the Games could be in jeopardy. Right now, anyone who claims to know more … probably should take a remotely-administered test for doping.

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has its own headaches, worried both for its own future and for those of the National Governing Bodies which operate the sports on the Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic Games program in the U.S.

USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland sent a letter, seen by The Associated Press, to the NGBs on Tuesday, indicating that the USOPC is looking at cuts of 10-20% in its own operations, which will then impact the NGBs in terms of grants and other support usually provided. Wrote Hirshland:

“We have to fully understand what that possibility would mean for our organization, so we certainly have considered it and evaluated it. The impact of cancellation would be devastating to our athletes, first and foremost, but also to our financial health and stability. We would survive such a scenario, but the impact would be severe.”

Many of the U.S. National Governing Bodies are small operations to begin with and U.S. Rugby filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on 30 March. The USOPC asked for $200 million in relief funds from the U.S. government for the NGBs and for direct athletes to athletes, but no allocation was made in the final bill.

The USOPC does have a significant reserve of $270 million in its U.S. Olympic Endowment, as shown in its 31 December 2018 financial statements. Of this, $60 million belongs to those National Governing Bodies who have made investments which are managed by the USOPC. The genesis of almost all of this money was the $139 million received from the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee following the success of the 1984 Olympic Games.

Hirshland noted that if the 2020 Games are in fact held in 2021, the massive payments due to the USOPC from its share of U.S. television rights fees from NBC will come in, but a year late. Wrote Hirshland, “We need to retain the ability to deal with things getting significantly more difficult, for example if there were a cancellation of the Tokyo Games.”

A truly catastrophic scenario would be cancellations of the 2020 Tokyo Games and then a follow-on cancellation of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing (CHN). But, for now, belts will be tightened and the pants do not have to be sold … yet.

● Athletics ● The U.S. Olympic Trials in track & field have been confirmed for 18-27 June, essentially the same time frame as scheduled for 2020.

USATF confirmed the dates for the event, to be held at the new Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The Trials will start just six days after the finish of the 2021 NCAA Division I Championships, also scheduled for Hayward Field.

The annual Prefontaine Classic meet, part of the Wanda Diamond League circuit, will be held prior to the NCAA meet. It’s not clear whether the Pacific-12 Championships – the meet that was supposed to open the new facility in 2020 – will be held in Eugene for 2021, or moved on to the next scheduled venue.

The new dates for the track trials partially coincide – as previously planned – with the swimming trials, now set for 13-20 June in Omaha, Nebraska. No word yet on new dates for the U.S. trials in Artistic Gymnastics, originally scheduled for 25-28 June 2020 in St. Louis, or for diving, slated for Indianapolis.

Said U.S. hurdler Devon Allen, now training with his former collegiate coach Jamie Cook in Annapolis, Maryland:

“I’m just excited for the time to come, with the Olympics coming up in 2021. This gives everybody a chance to restart and be reenergized. This Olympics, I think, will be one of the biggest and most anticipated ever.”

Allen told Track & Field News that constant injury issues make the move of the Games from 2020 to 2021 a positive for him. “I have more time to be healthy and train. It is probably the best case for me. If the Olympics were this year anyways, I think I would have been ready. But it doesn’t hurt me to have another 18 months.”

● Cycling ● “Cycling is a poor sport because it’s only supported by business, if the Tour is not held it would be a catastrophe.”

That’s Colombian road racing star Rigoberto Uran, from an interview with the Colombian Cycling Federation, and referring to the postponement of the 2020 Tour de France to 29 August-20 September. Uran’s predicted total chaos in the sport if this year’s Tour had to be canceled.

“For example, of the 18 [WorldTour] teams, only three could survive, and the others face a very complicated future. Right now, there are only three teams that are economically strong. There are only a few businesses in the world doing well at the moment. If this keeps going, there’s going to be a crisis, and when a company needs to make cuts, they begin with their marketing plans and that will impact cycling. …

“It will be difficult to return to normal life, I think it will be difficult for us all but we have to continue. I hope that everything is eventually resolved, that a vaccine is found, that people get jobs, that the world economy is good again. We’ve perhaps learnt that everything must be valued: being able to go out into the street, to a bar to have a beer, to travel. They are normal things but we’ll value them very much in the future.”

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced on 15 April that the World Road Race Championships are still hoped to be held in Switzerland from 20-27 September – a week after Le Tour – with the Giro d’Italia taking place soon after (possibly 4-25 October) followed by the Vuelta a Espana, possibly on 1-22 November.

Said Uran, “If they tell us we have to race in the cold, we’ll race in the cold. We’ll also have to see how all this works out, if they let us travel, if they let us enter Europe, or if they let us leave Colombia.”

● Football ● The federation with the most money, FIFA, is using it to support its member federations and reiterating its commitment to women’s football development.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) previously confirmed that its financial allocations to national federations be paid in full for 2020. “Thanks to the work that we have been doing together in FIFA during the past four years, we are today in a very strong financial situation.

“FIFA enjoys a good reputation on the financial markets… This has helped us consolidate a solid foundation with large reserves. But our reserves are not FIFA’s money. It is football’s money. So when football is in need, we must think what we can do to help… It is our responsibility and our duty.”

On Tuesday, FIFA issued a statement to The Associated Press on women’s football funding, which included:

“In line with the FIFA Women’s Football Strategy and FIFA’s long-term vision for the development of women’s football, this funding will be invested into a range of areas in the women’s game including competitions, capacity building, development programmes, governance and leadership, professionalisation and technical programmes.

“We can confirm that this funding has already been committed by FIFA and will not be impacted by the current COVID-19 crisis.”

These commitments are in line with Infantino’s pledge during his first campaign to be FIFA President to use the federation’s enormous financial assets for development and support, and not to gather more interest and value. Good for him.

THE BIG PICTURE: After 16 months, USA Gymnastics, 0; survivors, 0; lawyers $9,576,196 in Nassar abuse case so far

By
Rich Perelman
-

The legal fallout of the Larry Nassar sex-abuse scandal is mostly – but not completely – stalled with the absence of in-person hearings in front of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana in Indianapolis.

But the legal billings are continuing. A filing made on 16 April 2020 detailed the payments to attorneys for both sides, through 31 March of this year. From the commencement of the case on 5 December 2018, to the end of March 2020, the legal costs have totaled $9.58 million so far:

For USA Gymnastics: $6,845,744
● $3,953,139 for Jenner & Block LLP (Chicago)
● $1,056,712 for Miller Johnson (Grand Rapids)
● $1,633,555 for Plews, Shadley, Racher & Braun (Indianapolis)
● $202,338 for Barnes & Thornburg, LLP (Indianapolis)

For the claimants: $2,730,452
● $2,281,238 for Pachulski, Stang, Ziehl and Jones LLP (Los Angeles)
● $238,258 for Rubin & Levin, P.C. (Indianapolis)
● $131,451 for Development Specialists (Chicago)
● $79,505 for FrankGecker LLP (Chicago)

The current status shows that USA Gymnastics has filed a re-organization plan last 21 February and proposed a Disclosure Statement which, if approved, would lead to a vote of the Claimants on that Plan. Within the proposed Plan are options for a settlement, which could pay $217.5 million to various classes of claimants from insurance proceeds, or for a “litigation option,” in which every claimant would be on their own.

A hearing on the Disclosure Statement was scheduled for 31 March, but with the Federal Courthouse in Indianapolis closed due to COVID-19, this has been delayed indefinitely. Written objections to the proposed Disclosure Statement are due by 30 April or 14 days prior to the actual hearing date, whichever is later and the next teleconference on the case is slated for 29 April.

USA Gymnastics won a round in court on Monday, as Bankruptcy Court Judge Robyn Moberly dismissed a claim by 1978 World Uneven Bars Champion Marcia Frederick Blanchette, on behalf of herself and those “similarly situated” to amend the complaint of a specific group, to allow a USA Gymnastics Directors & Officers insurance policy to be attacked for as much as $15 million in damages under the Safe Sport Act of 2017. This specific policy is not mentioned in the Disclosure Statement as being included in the $217.5 million offer.

Moberly’s opinion denied Frederick Blanchette’s request to organize a class claim against the D&O policy, finding the claim to be untimely – filed after a 10-month wait – and not helpful in administering the case.

In fact, Moberly brought forward some interesting points, noting that “it is unsettled whether the Safe Sport Act gives the Claimants a private right of action to assert claims against [USA Gymnastics] for its alleged failure to report abuse to authorities.” There is a clear criminal sanction, but no private right listed in the statute, and the opinion pointed out that the survivors did not bring an action under the Safe Sport Act in its main claim against USA Gymnastics.

Moberly added that the failure of USA Gymnastics Board members or officers to report abuse is already included in the claims made, and that if the Survivors Committee wants to negotiate the D&O policy into the final settlement, they are free to try. They are also free to reject the settlement plan and try their luck individually.

The opinion also praised the USAG counsel team, stating that “significant progress has been made for a case this large and complex” over its 16 months since filing.

Frederick Blanchette, of course, can appeal the ruling, as the case grinds on.

LANE ONE: Like a ‘70s disco classic, Kenya and Russia (and others) appear to just keep on dopin’

By
Rich Perelman
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The Kay-Gees's 1974 hit album: Keep on Bumpin' & Masterplan

With the coronavirus keeping everyone apart these days, it seems impossible that – at one time – the most popular dance in America was The Bump, extolled by groups such as The Kay-Gees with their 1974 smash, Keep on Bumpin’.

The dance, the style, the bell bottoms are all long gone, but the tune could be re-recorded for track & field meets in Kenya and elsewhere under a new title, Keep on Dopin’.

While the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games to 2021 and the resulting fallout has been all the news for the past month, the parade of doping penalties for Kenyan athletes announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit has continued without end. So far this year alone:

● Jan 10: Wilson Kipsang: whereabouts failure
● Jan 14: Alfred Kipketer: whereabouts failure
● Feb 14: Peter Kwemoi: doping
● Feb 25: Kenneth Kipkemoi: doping
● Mar 18: Mercy Jerotich Kibarus: doping
● Mar 27: Vincent Yator: doping
● Apr 10: Daniel Wanjiru: doping

That’s seven cases in 3 1/2 months – all distance runners – not to mention two provisional suspensions and 14 decisions – 16 total – against Kenyan distance athletes in 2019. And these are not minor players.

Already suspended are Asbel Kiprop, the 2008 Olympic 1,500 m champ; Sarah Chepchirchir, the 2017 Tokyo Marathon winner and Jemima Sumgong, the 2016 Olympic marathon gold medalist. In this year’s class are former world marathon record holder Kipsang, 2018 Rotterdam Marathon winner Kipkemoi and Wanjiru, the 2017 London Marathon winner.

In all, there are 57 Kenyans listed on the AIU’s “Global List of Ineligible Persons” as of 30 March 2020 – you can add Wanjiru to bring the total to 58 – but they are hardly the worst offender. Russia leads the pack with 91, of course:

(1) 91, Russia
(2) 57, Kenya
(3) 48, India
(4) 34, Morocco
(5) 33, Turkey
(6) 32, China
(7) 29, Ukraine
(8) 26, Italy

The U.S. has 17 persons listed, including two coaches.

USA Weightlifting chief executive Phil Andrews (GBR) contrasted the sanctions protocol for weightlifting and track & field on Twitter back on 4 April after the International Weightlifting Federation banned Malaysia and Thailand from participating in the 2020 Tokyo Games:

“A correct and fair sanction handed to Thailand and Malaysia, the @iwfnet policy of national sanctions for multiple offences is tough but fair and reasonable especially with independent panel. I point out in our sport, Kenya’s long issues in Athletics would have been sanctioned.”

Further, TheGuardian.com (GBR) reported on a Leeds Beckett study of 301 athletes and 154 coaches, in Great Britain and the U.S., that found potential whistleblowers not sure of where to turn to report possible infractions.

Said lead researcher Dr. Kelsey Erickson (GBR): “In recent years we have seen a huge increase in the number of reporting mechanisms available for athletes and coaches to blow the whistle,. Yet while we found they often want to come forward, they often don’t know who to voice their concerns to, and they don’t necessarily trust action will be taken.”

The weightlifting policy against doping (2019 edition) includes penalties against those committing doping violations, but also against member federations. Three or more violations of the anti-doping policy “by Athletes or other Persons affiliated to the Member Federations” within a calendar year requires payment of a fine and the IWF’s Independent Disciplinary Panel may “impose a Suspension on the Member Federation of a period of up to (4) years.”

Further:

“If any Member Federation or its affiliated Athletes, other Persons or officials, by reason of conduct connected or associated with doping or anti-doping rule violations, brings the sport of weightlifting into disrepute, the Independent Panel shall impose any penalty upon the Member Federation that it considers just and proper in all the circumstances.”

This includes bans of up to four years as well, plus fines.

Isn’t it time that more federations start looking at these kinds of tiered sanctions programs for anti-doping violations? This puts pressure not just on the individual athlete to comply with the anti-doping regulations, but holds every athlete – and coach, agent, trainer and physician – responsible to all other athletes in their country not to be part of a doping regime that could get the federation banned.

Weightlifting’s situation is extreme and the sport was very nearly eliminated from the Paris 2024 Games because of its ridiculous doping history. But should individual sports like track and swimming be looking to reduce the number of qualifiers for Olympic or World Championships events if the number of sanctions is above a certain level, either in a specific year, or on a rolling average of, say, the three prior years?

Yes.

World Athletics (formerly the IAAF) has already taken a tough stance against Russia, essentially eliminating the country from competing in the 2016 Rio Games and then allowing only a carefully-vetted group of athletes to compete in its World Championships since then – 19 in 2017 and 29 in 2019 – owing to its egregious doping program from 2011-15 that is still yielding sanctions today.

But then the Russian federation tried to cover up a whereabouts violation for 2018 World Indoor Champion Danil Lysenko and the reinstatement process came to an abrupt end. In fact, the World Athletics Council issued a report in March noting that even these suspensions “have apparently been insufficient to prompt the required change in culture and behaviour in Russian athletics.”

So now the number of Russian athletes who can be entered in the Tokyo Games is limited to 10, assuming they pass whatever new criteria the World Athletics Doping Review Board comes up with.

For Russia’s part, a new set of senior officials at the federation has apologized for past transgressions – a first for RusAF – and promises to do better in the future. An important part of that is a national educational program against doping and a strict separation from those with past violations. On 5 April, a TASS story explained:

“Under the criteria, candidates to Russian track and field teams cannot be athletes who have violated anti-doping rules after November 18, 2015, with the exception of those [already] suspended for life. A team cannot admit an athlete suspected of anti-doping violations or under investigation. A candidate cannot work with a coach who has been disqualified for violating the anti-doping rules after November 19, 2015.”

But last Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport “upheld an appeal from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and issued a four-year suspension against Russian track and field coach Andrei Yeremenko for his attempt to bribe a doping-control officer in 2017.” Yeremenko tried to get officials at the Russian national championships to allow 100 m hurdler Yulia Maluyeva to skip her post-event doping test because “she was ill” and apparently offered a bribe.

And Russia is still squirming to get out from under harsh penalties – four years of sanctions – handed out by the World Anti-Doping Agency, at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with hearings possibly to be held in July. But on 10 April, new Russian sports minister Oleg Matytsin asked “we’re living in completely different conditions and this crisis which has been created, including the crisis in relationships, should probably come to an end, turn a new page and understand that the main thing right now is to be together.”

He offered to host events in Russia that have had to be abandoned elsewhere, and asked for “respect for the rights of the countries which are among the main actors on the international arena. Russia has always been, is and will remain that sort of partner.”

The answer to this has to be no, and WADA’s authority to hand out such sanctions must be confirmed in order for its credibility as a deterrent force to be maintained. In this light, WADA asked for the hearings on the Russian sanctions to be public, but it was the Russians who said no.

In track & field at least, the Athletics Integrity Unit has been pushing hard and the list of those on suspension is publicly available, in detail. It’s now time to put every national federation – in every sport – on the scoreboard to see if they can continue competing, or if their participation has to be reduced due to doping.

Otherwise, it’s time for find Ronald Bell from The Kay-Gees, author of “Keep on Bumpin’” and commission a revision for a new decade of doping.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE TICKER: Weightlifting loses two presidents; is Thomas Bach an IOC immortal? Cycling needs the Tour de France to be held in ‘20

By
Rich Perelman
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Former International Weightlifting Federation president Tamas Ajan (HUN). (Photo: IWF)

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

● Weightlifting ● An era ended on Wednesday, as International Weightlifting Federation chief Tamas Ajan (HUN) formally resigned his office, bowing to internal pressure before he could be expelled by the federation itself.

Owing to his continuing activities as IWF President while he is under investigation of allegations made in January in a German ARD television documentary, including managing IWF financial accounts, speaking for the federation in meetings with the International Olympic Committee and interfering with the work of Acting President Ursula Papandrea (USA), Ajan’s retirement was approved by the IWF Executive Board Wednesday.

The IWF statement noted that “As part of his retirement, Ajan has tendered his resignation from the position of IWF President with immediate effect.” ARD reported that the Executive Board had, in fact, voted to expel him, but Ajan retired before the vote was announced.

Said Papandrea in the statement, “The IWF thanks Tamas Ajan for more than four decades of service to weightlifting, and most notably for his work in recent years to ensure an anti-doping programme which meets the standards of the IOC and WADA is in place. We can now begin the work of determining a fresh path towards achieving the full potential of our sport.”

Ajan, now 81, had an amazing career in international sport, becoming the Secretary General of the IWF in 1975 and President in 2000, winning five elections for the sport’s top position. He succeeded Austrian Gottfried Schodl, whose passing (at age 96) was announced by the IWF on Tuesday (14th). Schodl was also a long-time IWF chief, serving as president from 1972 through 2000. Ajan was, for 10 years, a member of the International Olympic Committee.

One of the positive attributes of Ajan’s stewardship was a determination to maintain strong financial reserves, recognizing the precarious position of weightlifting in the Olympic Games due to its outrageous doping record. The last set of financial statements posted on the IWF Web site showed that at the end of 2017, the federation had almost $35 million in reserves against a typical annual expenditure of about $4 million a year (a quarter of which goes for anti-doping activities).

Ajan saw the IWF through a possible elimination from the Olympic program for 2024 and has been returned by the IOC to regular status, although with increased scrutiny for the future. After the Tokyo Games, the IWF will once again be entitled to an IOC payment of about $15.37 million.

Papandrea and the IWF Board will now be able to focus on the administration of the Olympic competition in Tokyo, on the results of the continuing investigation of the allegations made in the ARD documentary, and eventually on removing the federation’s affairs from Ajan’s Budapest office to the IWF’s listed office in Lausanne (SUI).

It will also, no doubt, undertake more serious promotion of the sport; the federation’s Web site is one of the worst among all of the International Federations, but given the sport’s long history, could be one of the most interesting.

● International Olympic Committee ● In the aftermath of his brilliant interview in Welt am Sonntag, where he brushed aside a lengthy series of accusatory questions about his stewardship of the Olympic Movement, and especially the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Games, IOC President Thomas Bach is now being hailed as a possible “president for life”?

You could get that impression from no less than ARD documentary boss Hajo Seppelt (GER), who tweeted on Tuesday:

“I would not exclude anymore that Bach will find claqueurs who will desperately ask whether he would be ready to stay longer in charge as the maximum of 12 yrs (means until 2025) and that there could be a majority to adopt the IOC regulations for a Lex Bach”

Seppelt’s tweet in German was a bit less – shall we say – respectful (per Google Translate)

“How long will this man stay IOC President? I no longer consider it out of the question that he will find claqueurs who wish him to last for a maximum period (until 2025 = 12 years) and officially adjusted (Putin style 😉 regulations.”

Seppelt’s ARD associate, Grit Hartmann, chimed in with:

“Anything but that Bach naturally extends his term of office would be the surprise. By 2024/25 – what difference does that make? And: There isn’t a single opponent in sight, is there?”

Bach, for his part, told the Welt am Sonntag that he hadn’t made up his mind whether to run for an additional four years as IOC President in 2021. However, there is no doubt that he will be re-elected for an extended term … at this point.

Comment: Although Seppelt and Hartmann are supremely sure of their opinions, what is true is that there is no such thing as a sure thing.

● Gymnastics ● A small development in the USA Gymnastics case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana, where the motion by several insurers to delay the time to file objections to the federation’s plan for reorganization was granted. The new due date for the filings is 30 April 2020.

This isn’t going to be concluded anytime soon.

● Football ● Former FIFA Secretary General and President Sepp Blatter (SUI) was back in the news this week.

First, one of the two charges against him filed by Swiss prosecutors was dropped, in specific an allegation that he deliberately arranged the below-market sale of television rights to the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups to FIFA Vice President Jack Warner (TTO), allowing the latter to make millions off the sale to an actual broadcaster. There is still the matter of a $2 million payment to former UEFA chief Michel Platini (FRA) … for no apparent reason!

Then on Wednesday, Blatter – now 84 – suggested that the United States could serve as a replacement organizer for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in view of a U.S. Department of Justice indictment made public last week that indicates that both Russia (for 2018) and Qatar (for 2022) paid bribes to secure their selection as host countries.

In comments to German magazine Sport Bild, Blatter noted:

“Germany could do it. But this would mean the World Cup being staged in Europe again after 2018.

“Europe therefore would not be first choice. The United States could do it instead of 2026. They are capable, it’s not rocket science! Japan could also do it. They also bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

“Fortunately, the 2022 World Cup will only have 32 teams and not 48 as [FIFA president Gianni Infantino] had planned. The organisational effort would not be bigger than 2018.”

As one might imagine, the Qatar organizers were not pleased with the comments.

Blatter has maintained his innocence continuously since resigning as FIFA President in 2015, and expects to be named as “Honorary President” once his name is cleared. Not likely.

● Cycling ● The centerpiece of the cycling world is, of course, the annual Tour de France. That race was postponed on Wednesday, from a 27 June to start to 29 August and finishing on 20 September … at least for now.

As the UCI World Tour calendar has been wiped out by the coronavirus, the importance of the Tour de France has been highlighted. A Tuesday story from Agence France Presse warned of a possible “economic meltdown” in the sport if the Tour is not held in 2020.

Said Jean-Francois Mignot, a demographics expert for the French National Centre for Scientific Research and a Tour de France historian, “Cancellation opens the door to a possible economic meltdown in the cycling sector. …

“Most sponsors are in cycling for this reason alone, the whole thing is centered around the Tour de France. If these sponsors invest money it is because television viewers recognize the team jerseys, it is the only cycling race watched by such a vast audience.”

According to Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot, “It’s as simple as this. If the Tour does not take place, teams could disappear, riders and staff alike would find themselves unemployed.”

The French government has prohibited mass gatherings until mid-July at the earliest, although there has been discussion that since the economic impact of the Tour de France is primarily vested in its television audience, the event could be held without spectators. Riders who have had to put up with spectator clowns getting in their way on dangerous uphill climbs probably won’t mind having a clean path … for once.

LANE ONE: Financial implosion of college athletics now threatens Olympic-sport programs in the U.S.

By
Rich Perelman
-

It was going to happen, the only question was when. And when is now.

Yahoo! Sports obtained and published a 9 April letter from the commissioners of five Division I collegiate conferences to the head of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, asking for relief from the requirements to be classified in Division I.

The five signatories, representing the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference and the Sun Belt Conference, called the current situation “the direst financial crisis for higher education since at least the Great Depression.”

In specific, the letter asks “temporary relief from several regulatory requirements for a period of up to four years.” These include:

● Minimum of 16 varsity intercollegiate sports for Division I status;
● Minimum number of games/meets/matches in each sport;
● Offering a minimum of 200 athletics scholarships (or spent $4 million) annually;
● Qualifying requirements to compete in Division I championships;
● Home-game and scheduling requirements in football and basketball.

The letter continues that “Providing short-term relief from a handful of regulatory requirements will facilitate the opportunity for institutions to retrench and rebuild the financial structures of the institution. Additionally, this will allow time for the membership to engage in discussions about a post-COVID-19 world.”

The Yahoo! Sports story noted the recent elimination of men’s soccer at the University of Cincinnati and wrestling at Old Dominion. These are not catalysts, only symptoms of the financial sickness which is enveloping Division I programs.

Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson told reporter Pete Thamel:

“We have to be creative in these times. I cannot emphasize enough that our intent is to maintain the same level of sports sponsorships. Is there a way to work on the edges or requirements, like the minimum number of contests? How can we reduce sports without eliminating sports?”

Along with the Tokyo 2020 reset, unrest in Congress over its response to the Larry Nassar and other athlete-abuse scandals and questions about the financial viability of several National Governing Bodies, this is an oncoming crisis for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The U.S. elite-athlete feeder system depends on collegiate programs for the vast majority of its athletes in track & field, swimming, volleyball and wrestling – among others – and indirectly for baseball and basketball.

If collegiate competition withers, especially in track and swimming – which account for 54% of all medals won by Americans in Olympic history – the U.S. could cease to be among the top medal winners at the Games. Not important? Think about what happens to U.S. television rights sales beyond 2032 and sponsorships from American corporations. Winning means ratings, ratings mean money.

These collegiate finance issues are well known, with scholarships and travel two of the largest expenses. These can add up quickly.

Take track & field at UCLA for example. A long-time power under Jim Bush and Bob Larsen, the program has fallen on hard times this century, but is returning to competitiveness under third-year coach Avery Anderson. But consider the travel scheduled for the Bruins for 2020, in a department that has to overcome a $36 million deficit over the last two academic years:

● Indoor meets in Flagstaff, Arizona; Seattle, Washington (3 different meets); New York, New York; Albuquerque, New Mexico (2), and Notre Dame, Indiana, plus the conference meet in Seattle and the NCAA Indoors in Albuquerque. None of those are driving distance from Los Angeles.

● Outdoor meets in San Luis Obispo, Riverside, Palo Alto, Azusa, Walnut and Northridge, California, plus the conference meet in Corvallis, Oregon, NCAA Regionals at Kansas and the NCAA Championships in Texas.

If you’re looking at UCLA’s finances, how can all that indoor travel be justified when the Bruins really don’t compete that strongly in indoor track? And is it that important, anyway? The outdoor season keeps everything within driving distance except for the trip to Palo Alto and the only out-of-state trips are for the Pac-12 Conference meet and NCAAs. That’s the future.

The USOPC isn’t asleep on this, having formed its own Collegiate Advisory Council back in 2017. It includes NCAA sports heavyweights, including the athletic directors from Alabama, Duke, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State.

But even with their support, there are significant sports already on life-support at the collegiate level. In the latest report on NCAA sports participation (for 2018-19) multiple Olympic-sport programs show very low levels of participation:

● Men/Fencing: 21
● Men/Gymnastics: 15
● Men/Rifle: 18
● Men/Volleyball: 22
● Men/Water Polo: 25
● Men/Wrestling: 76

● Women/Fencing: 26
● Women/Rifle: 24
● Women/Water Polo: 33

By contrast, women’s basketball has 349 schools participating in Division I and men’s basketball has 351. Some 254 schools play football, either in the Football Bowl Subdivision (129) or Football Championship Subdivision (125).

Along with wrestling, swimming and diving has a fairly low number of Division I schools participating, with 133 men’s programs and 195 women’s programs. The healthiest sports in terms of participation are basketball and track and cross country; the running sports have more than 330 women’s teams and 286 men’s teams competing in Division I.

In addition to the sports themselves, look for a close examination by each school of the number of scholarships supported. Cross country and track combined are allowed a paltry limit of 12.6 for men and 18 for women; men’s swimming tops out at 9.9 while the women get 14.

The financial crisis already well along in collegiate athletics has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis and the possibility that the 2020 college football season could be canceled, partially canceled, postponed, or played without fans in stadiums will only make matters worse.

The next question is what to do about this, and the USOPC has taken its first steps to work with colleges on co-branding strategies and saluting its Olympic athletes. But the question is going to come back to money, something most collegiate athletic departments are short of, now and at least until college football – with fans in the stands – comes back in force.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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HEARD AT HALFTIME: DeFrantz on spineless USOC ‘80 boycott vote; Bach slaps critics; is IWF’s Ajan out this time?

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympic bronze medalist and U.S. IOC member Anita DeFrantz (Photo: anitadefrantz.com)

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

● Games of the XXII Olympiad: Moscow 1980 ● Anita DeFrantz was a 1976 Olympic bronze medalist in rowing, made the 1980 U.S. team, and later became a member of the International Olympic Committee. She composed an open letter to Olympic fans on yesterday’s 40-year anniversary of the USOC vote not to attend the Moscow Games:

The Modern Olympic Games started in 1896, and since then, the only Olympic Games cancellations were for WWI and WWII. Now for the first time there has been a postponement of the Games. The Tokyo Olympic Games scheduled for this year will instead take place in 2021.

As an IOC member and Olympian, I know how difficult this postponement is for the host city and certainly for the athletes training to compete in those Games. No one knows how adding a year to the quadrennial effort will affect athletes. I know that athletes will find some way to train. Although some may lose their chance to be known as Olympians.

Forty years ago, I looked at April 12 as my date with destiny. And that day certainly changed my path in life. April 12, 1980 was the date for the USOC House of Delegates meeting which would vote on the US athletes’ right to compete in Moscow. It was crushing for me to know that only 30% of the assembled delegates voted to support the athletes’ right to compete. The others I called medical miracles because they could walk without a spine.

They knew that every athlete had found their own way to an Olympic sport and that we had to finance all our training. Not a penny of federal, state or local taxpayer funds supported the US athletes training with the goal of becoming a member of the 1980 US Olympic Team.

As an attorney, I knew that our only chance was to sue the USOC. Spoiler alert, we lost at both the district level and on appeal. During one of the administration’s briefings held at the State Department, I asked the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, General David C. Jones, USAF, if our staying at home would save at least one life. His response was, “No.”

The IOC supported the 1980 Moscow Games, as we do for each Host City. Documents from the Carter Presidential Library reveal the Carter Administration’s wish to destroy the IOC. In addition to the U.S., Canada, Japan, West Germany and others, kept their teams at home. Many others, to avoid governmental embarrassment, competed under the Olympic Flag, not their national flag.

Much has changed in 40 years. Today, of the 15 members of the IOC Executive Board there are eight Olympians, four women and four men. Two of us suffered through political machinations of 1980 and we have firsthand knowledge of the how that affected the rest of an athlete’s life.

I admire today’s athletes and hope they will stay safe and healthy. Unlike 40 years ago, it is abundantly clear that through this postponement, countless lives will be saved.

Anita L. DeFrantz
IOC Vice President
1976 Olympian
1980 U.S. Olympic Team member

DeFrantz’s note that two members of the current IOC Executive Board were impacted by the 1980 Olympic boycott include her and IOC President Thomas Bach of Germany.

If you’re interested in DeFrantz’s lawsuit, you can find the decision in DeFrantz vs. United States Olympic Committee, 492 F.Supp. 1181 (D.D.C., 1980) here. The decision was affirmed, without opinion by the U.S. Court of Appeal for the D.C. Circuit at 701 F.2d 221.

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● If you were worried about the beating that Bach has been taking on social media and in the German, Canadian and American media, don’t be. Because he isn’t.

In a lengthy interview in the German newspaper Welt on Sonntag, Bach responded to a series of sharply-worded questions as if the reporter was trying to jab him with a paper airplane. A sampling:

Q.: Herr Bach, how does it feel to be the bogeyman of world sport?

Bach: You could perhaps get that impression from a certain section of the German press, but in reality I think it’s far from being true. When you consider that the postponement of the Games was supported by all 206 National Olympic Committees, all the Summer Olympic Federations, all IOC members and the athletes’ representatives elected by their peers, then the situation is pretty clear. It took us just three days to get agreement for the postponement of the Olympic Games and another six to announce a new date. That speaks for itself.

Q: How do you explain the especially harsh criticism you’ve received in your home country?

Bach: As ever, we can’t speak of “the” German media, since there have also been examples of balanced reporting. It’s a well-known fact, though, that there are a handful of people in the media who make no secret of their personal animosity towards me. So far as they are concerned, I haven’t made a single good decision in over ten years. This animosity finds particularly forceful expression on social media, with the people in question sometimes even resorting to defamatory statements in their attempts to intimidate those who express a different view.

A few more Bach quotes worth noting:

● “There have been all kinds of conspiracy theories. The facts paint a completely different picture.”

● “[U]nlike cancellation, [postponement] was not a decision the IOC could take on its own. And to counter the conspiracy theories on this point, too, I want to make it clear that the IOC’s insurance would have covered cancellation, but does not cover postponement. But postponement required the agreement of the Organising Committee, which needed to be prepared to carry on for another year; and the Japanese government also had to be willing to go on supporting the preparations.”

● “We really cannot be accused of either undue hesitation or a lack of consultation or transparency. The process was simply the result of consultations with our Japanese partners, which progressed much faster than our initial discussions on 22 March had led us to expect.”

● “In critical situations like this, you can’t expect universal support. You can’t satisfy everyone. The support that really counted was the trust that the Olympic Movement placed in its leadership. This support never wavered, even when some of the critical voices were at their loudest and most public. The many personal messages I have received from all over the world in the last three or four weeks have also been very uplifting.”

In response to a question about Canada declaring it would not send a team to Tokyo in 2020, Bach noted “Under the terms of the Olympic Charter, every NOC is obliged to send a team to the Olympic Games. This rule was put in place in the wake of the boycotts of 1980 and 1984″ and added “It is our view that no group, however constituted, can override the right of the individual athlete to decide. We would even take any necessary steps to assist individual athletes in the exercise of this right,” setting up the hypothetical possibility that an athlete could compete from an NOC that refused to attend the Games! Watch for that comment to be activated in the future.

This was by far Bach’s most pointed response to criticism he has received. While some will continue to dismiss him, he will get high marks for taking the interview and then taking on the interviewer. Whether you like Bach or not, this was an impressive performance.

● Weightlifting ● The situation within the International Weightlifting Federation has come to a head. In the aftermath of the German ARD television documentary on weightlifting and its president, Hungary’s Tamas Ajan, he “stepped away” from his duties and Ursula Papandrea, head of USA Weightlifting, was installed as acting president.

But in a letter circulated to the other members of the IWF Board last week and promptly leaked to ARD’s Hajo Seppelt – Papandrea detailed a series of actions showing that rather than releasing his position, Ajan has continued almost as usual, in charge of IWF finances, representing the IWF on teleconferences with the IOC and more.

Papandrea further stated that she was “explicitly threatened to be arrested among other insults and implicit threats,” and resolved: “I feel you are no longer suited to either represent or lead this organization in accordance with the Terms set forth by the IWF Executive Board and continue to violate them.”

She then asked the Executive Board members to vote on her motion to expel Ajan as a member of the Executive Board until the matter can be voted on by the IWF Congress.

The votes were to be made in response to Papandrea’s e-mail, with the results expected in the next few days. Stay tuned.

LANE ONE: Remembering the worst day in the history of the U.S. Olympic Movement: the vote to boycott Moscow ‘80

By
Rich Perelman
-
U.S. President Jimmy Carter in April 1980

Forty years ago, the United States Olympic Committee faced a choice it hopes never to face again. Mike Moran served as the chief spokesman for the USOC for nearly 25 years, from 1979-2003 and remembers that day. He is currently the Senior Media Consultant for the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation.

April 12, 1980, was a day 40 years ago in Colorado Springs that changed the course of history for American Olympic athletes and destroyed the careers of more than two hundred of them who would never compete in future Games.

By a vote of 1,704 to 697 at the Antlers Hotel, the U.S. Olympic Committee’s House of Delegates voted to accede to President Jimmy Carter’s demand for a USA boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. It almost put the USOC out of business. Colorado Springs would never have become “Olympic City USA.”

Ahead of the fateful vote that morning at the Antlers Hotel in downtown Colorado Springs, speeches by Vice President Walter Mondale and USOC Treasurer and former Secretary of the Treasury William E. Simon kept a packed, closed ballroom in suspense and silence, though a vote to stay home from Moscow seemed to be a foregone conclusion after what the USOC had endured since Carter announced the boycott option on January 20.

Carter proposed on that day that the Moscow Olympics be moved to another country or postponed or canceled if the Soviet Union failed to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan within a month. Declaring that “it is very important for the world to realize how serious a threat the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is,” the President said that if the troops were not withdrawn in a month he would ask the United States Olympic Committee to urge the International Olympic Committee to transfer or cancel the Moscow games. Failing that, the President said he would suggest to the USOC that it formally withdraw American athletes from the games.

The Soviet incursion, though widely debated, wasn’t as well reported then as it would be in today’s massive 24/7 news cycles. Americans knew that the USSR army was in Afghanistan, but that stayed unimportant for most. That is until Carter decided to use the Olympics and American athletes as a political tool.

Mondale had flown into Colorado Springs to address the group, pulling out some powerful rhetoric that sounds ironic four decades later: “History holds its breath for what is at stake is no less than the future security of the civilized world. If one nation can be subjugated by Soviet aggression, is any sovereign nation truly safe from that fate? … If the Soviet lunge toward the most strategic oil-rich spot on earth fails to unite us, what will?”

Simon told the group before the vote, “It is somewhat incredulous that a group of mature persons whom I consider to be among the most patriotic of Americans can seriously discuss defying the President of the United States on a national security issue.” Ever the patriot despite his lofty USOC position and support for American athletes, Simon toed the line, rolling over for the White House and its hollow script.

After those remarks, the USOC’s House of Delegates bitterly accepted the president’s order, voting to withdraw from the Moscow Games. But the vote was far from unanimous, and some feared for the USOC’s future. All who were part of that weekend knew, beyond doubt, they would never forget or feel any better about what they had done. And they despised the fact that the White House had forced them, as the USOC, to stab American athletes in the heart.

Today, this special team is still not recognized by the IOC as an Olympic Team, and I hope that USOPC might do the right thing and deliver a special recognition event for these athletes someday in Olympic City USA.

Carter, desperate for a supportive vote from the USOC, was informed that the International Olympic Charter states that “National Olympic Committees must be autonomous and must resist all pressures of any kind whatsoever, whether of a political, religious, or economic nature . . .” and that the USOC constitution itself maintains “no member of the USOC may deny or threaten to deny any amateur athlete the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games.” So, Carter decided to use national security as his rationale to force the committee to violate these rules.

The deplorable decision by the USOC came after intense pressure from the Carter administration that included pointed calls to USOC sponsors urging them not to make critical payments to the organization unless it supported the boycott.

The Carter State Department team threatened President Robert J. Kane and Executive Director Col. F. Don Miller in other ways.

Miller was privately threatened with the loss of his U.S. Army retirement benefits (he was a decorated World War II combat officer), and the loss of some of the Olympic Training Center property in Colorado Springs that still belonged to the Defense Department related to the site’s former designation as ENT Air Force Base. Members of Congress hinted at elimination of the USOC’s charitable deductions for contributions.

Reflecting on the boycott years later, I wrote that “466 American athletes sat out the Olympics while 81 nations competed in Moscow: 219 of them never got another chance to make a future Olympic team, their dreams dying in the embers of a fire that proved to be one of the biggest mistakes ever in using sport and athletes as political pawns.”

Eventually 60 other countries joined the United States in staying away from Moscow. A number of Western countries did not observe the boycott, notably Great Britain, France, Italy, and Sweden. In all, about 5,000 athletes representing 81 countries did attend the Games. Protests against the Soviet presence in Afghanistan continued, however. Several of the participating countries refused to attend the opening ceremony, and the Olympic hymn was played at several medal ceremonies, rather than the appropriate national anthem. The Games were also hurt by rowdy behavior from spectators, cheating by officials, and security so intrusive that winners in track events were physically prevented from taking victory laps.

On July 26, 1980, we came to Washington, the U.S. Olympic Team that wasn’t. American athletes and our USOC staff and delegation had nowhere else to go while 5,512 athletes from 81 nations competed in Moscow, in the hollow Olympic Games boycotted by the U.S. and 65 other nations.

During a week of events staged and funded by the financially strapped USOC to celebrate the team, there was little talk of the Games going on in Moscow, no live television in the United States, and little in the newspapers of the day.

On a sweltering July 30 morning on the steps of the Capitol, we heard President Jimmy Carter incredibly thank the athletes for their sacrifice, telling them it would be significant in the effort to force the Soviets out of Afghanistan. To have gone to Moscow, he said, would have validated the USSR’s incursion into Afghanistan in 1979.

When Carter departed, the American athletes, one by one, mounted the steps to receive special medals commissioned and ironically paid for by the USOC, medals eventually recognized in 2007 by the Congress of the United States as Congressional Gold medals, the highest and most distinguished civilian award of our nation.

The boycott had nearly destroyed the USOC. Miller went to Washington and got a commitment of $10 million, based on a matching fund-raising campaign with Congress. He told me and four other USOC executives that he was going to have to furlough us until he got the commitment. I almost took a job at Princeton University, but then Miller asked me to stay. The money came only after Ronald Reagan was elected President in 1981 with the help of future, two-time USOC President Bill Hybl of Colorado Springs, who was part of the Reagan team at the White House.

It ultimately fell on the shoulders of the USOC and Los Angeles Games leader Peter Ueberroth and the success of the 1984 Games to produce stability for the USOC and its bright renaissance that continued today. The Soviets boycotted the L.A. Games in revenge.

Years later, 1984 the late Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling gold medalist Jeff Blatnick, who was on that ’80 team, told a story that startles me even now. He was on an airplane, flying from Bismarck, N.D., to Minneapolis and came upon former President Carter, seated in the first-class cabin.

“As soon as the plane gets up in the air and levels off, he gets up and starts saying hi to everybody,” recalls Blatnick. “I say to the person next to me, ‘I wonder how this is going to be.’ He gets to me, I go, ‘President Carter, I have met you before, I am an Olympian.’ He looks at me and says, ‘Were you on the 1980 hockey team?’ I say, ‘No sir, I’m a wrestler, on the summer team.’ He says, ‘Oh, that was a bad decision, I’m sorry.’”

In the spring of 1996, when it was announced that Carter, a Georgia icon, would run a leg of the official Atlanta Olympic torch near Plains, his hometown, a cadre of 1980 U.S. Olympians who were denied their place in history went to Carter representatives and threatened a major retaliatory response if the former President were to touch an Olympic Torch, wear official clothing, and join in the run.

Carter soon notified the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games that he would not participate because of a schedule conflict. He was scheduled by ACOG to carry the torch on July 12, in his hometown of Plains, Ga.

“He was honored to be chosen and he wanted to run, but he can’t because of a scheduling conflict that will take him out of the country,” said a Carter representative.

In June, 2005, I was the Senior Communications Counselor for NYC2012, the bid group for New York City for the 2012 Olympic Games.

In the early morning hours of July 5, 2005 at Rockefeller Center, we had the feed of the final vote among Paris, London, New York, Madrid and Moscow displayed on a big screen for scores of people at a site erected to celebrate if NYC won.

After the first round of voting by the IOC in Singapore, a terse announcement appeared on the big screen.

“Moscow will not advance,” said the IOC spokesman.

Sometimes, what comes around …

Our thanks to Mike for allowing to share his memories of a bad day in Olympic history.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE TICKER: USA Swimming confirms dates for 2021 Olympic Trials, but T&F faces a possible conflict with the NCAAs in Eugene

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

● U.S. Olympic Trials ● The highest-profile U.S. Olympic Trials events had been lined for a two-week show this June, but with the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games for a year, the question of the Trials dates also has to be resolved.

The first to declare its dates is USA Swimming, which today announced new dates of 13-20 June, 2021, once again at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

Said USA Swimming Chief Operating Officer Mike Unger:

“We are incredibly thankful to the USOPC, NBC, the Omaha Sports Commission, the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority and every other partner involved in successfully moving an event of this magnitude to new dates that will best prepare our team to succeed in Tokyo in 2021.

“Fans can expect to witness the same incredible level of competition and entertainment throughout this highly-anticipated event.”

It’s worthwhile to note the mention of NBC in the statement, as the network had two weeks of Trials events lined up for this summer in advance of the Games. As scheduled for 2020:

● 14-21 June 2020: USA Diving Olympic Trials in Indianapolis
● 19-28 June 2020: USA Track & Field Olympic Trials in Eugene
● 21-28 June 2020: USA Swimming Olympic Trials in Omaha
● 25-28 June 2020: USA Gymnastics Artistic Olympic Trials in St. Louis

With the dates of the Tokyo Games essentially in the same place on the calendar in 2021 as in 2020, the question is whether the American Trials events will be lined up again as was the plan – especially for NBC – for this year.

For diving and gymnastics, there is no reason to change, as there are no impediments to the competition schedule, but the use of the Enterprise Center in St. Louis could be in question.

For track & field, the situation is more complex. For 2020, the NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships were scheduled for 10-13 June in Austin, Texas, with the Olympic Trials to follow the week after.

But for 2021, the NCAAs are scheduled for Eugene’s Hayward Field for 9-12 June – Wednesday through Saturday – meaning that the Trials could not be held there concurrent with the swimming trials in Omaha.

Further, there would be significant pressure on the T&F Trials organizers to be able to arrange their installations – just five days – in time to start the following Friday for an 18-27 June Trials schedule … in the same stadium.

If the 18-27 June dates could work, that could also work well for NBC, giving the network the same two-week spread it had planned for this year. The diving trials could likely be moved as needed, but the gymnastics event is still subject to venue availability in St. Louis.

But the Trials really need to end by 27 June, as the qualifying deadline for the Tokyo Games is on 29 June 2021.

Will the NCAAs be moved to allow more time for Trials set-up? Can the television cabling, sponsor signage, media seating and mixed zone infrastructure and hospitality arrangements all be made in time? Will the Trials build-out be half-completed around the Pre Classic and NCAAs, and then finished during the following week?

NBC, among many others, would like to know. Then again …

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● Confirming once again that he is the chief executive of an organizing committee and not a fortune teller, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto told a media teleconference today (English via an interpreter):

“I don’t think anyone would be able to say if it is going to be possible to get it under control by next July or not. We’re certainly are not in a position to give you a clear answer.”

COVID-19 infections have been on the rise in Japan, with a significant escalation over the past week, but how long this will extend is anyone’s guess.

● Gymnastics ● The legal tug-of-war at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana has picked up again in the USA Gymnastics case.

Because of the COVID-19 situation, hearings have been put off, but a 13 April date had been set for the filing of objections to the USA Gymnastics reorganization proposal, which includes an election by survivors on a $217.5 settlement offer.

On Thursday afternoon, seven of the insurers in the case asked for an extension to 30 April to file their objections to the USA Gymnastics proposal. The filing included some aggressive language from the insurers, including:

“[T]he undersigned Insurers desire that the Proposed Plan include a settlement option. However, the Proposed Plan does not reflect necessary material terms, injects different terms than proposed when offers were made, and further, is deficient as to other fundamental terms, including scope of injunctive protection, scope of buy back of insurance, releases (including from USOPC and other Protected Parties) and other affirmative obligations.”

and

“More fundamentally, the changes necessary to effect a settlement with the insurers will require not only changes to the disclosure statement, but changes in the Proposed Plan. Releases from additional insureds and USOPC in favor of the insurers are lacking, as are Proposed Plan definitions, the Channeling Injunction, the Settling Insurer Injunction, terms of insurer buy back agreements (which are not included in the Plan). All of these provisions must be expanded to encompass all Abuse Claims and other claims being barred and all coverages and policies being released.”

In other words, the insurers are asking that a complete plan – including all of the promised injunctions and releases mentioned in it – be included. This will lengthen the preparation process, but allow the insurers to have all of the claims against them settled at once … if the settlement option is approved.

The Survivors Committee followed up six hours later with a filing in agreement with the insurers, accusing USA Gymnastics of wasting its time in preparing a detailed objection to the proposal plan.

USA Gymnastics’ attorneys were ready with a response by 10:21 a.m. Friday morning, lambasting both filings:

“The Insurers’ Motion and the Response [of the Survivors Committee] filed just hours later give this Court a glimpse into the gamesmanship that is impeding the Debtor’s ability to reorganize.

“The Insurers’ apparent strategy is to create leverage by dragging out the case and adding additional and unnecessary administrative expense (all the while failing to reimburse the Debtor’s legal fees that they are obligated to pay). The Committee’s apparent strategy is to create leverage by resorting to media campaigns against the Debtor instead of engaging in good faith negotiations over the Committee’s issues with the Disclosure Statement and the Plan. The Court should not condone this behavior.”

The USA Gymnastics filing goes on to note that the very purpose of the objections deadline is to get everyone’s comments together so that a final reorganization plan can be created and then voted on by the claimants.

Further, the USAG filing slapped back at both parties. The insurer filing stated that USAG had not responded to its comments on the original proposal, but the USAG response noted that

“[T]he Insurers’ suggestion that the Debtor failed to engage with them over their comments to the Disclosure Statement and Plan is simply not true. The Debtor has participated in a series of telephone conferences and e-mail exchanges with the Insurers, including a lengthy conference on March 19, 2020, and the Debtor intends to continue this dialogue. The Debtor’s counsel provided the Insurers … (along with the [Survivors] Committee …) with an amended plan and disclosure statement on April 10, 2020, that incorporated comments from the Insurers, Twistars, and the United States Trustee (the only parties who provided preliminary comments to the Disclosure Statement). The Debtor is continuing to work through the comments it received from the Insurers and other parties and expects to file an amended disclosure statement with its response to any objections on April 16, 2020. Notably, the [Survivors] Committee has not provided the Debtor with any comments as of the date of this Objection.”

Now it’s up to the Bankruptcy Court to decide whether to grant the extension.

● Wrestling ● Looking to the future, one of the goals of USA Wrestling is to help the development of women’s wrestling at the collegiate level. To that end, USA Wrestling posted a story announcing a plan to create a community college national women’s wrestling championships event in 2021.

A conference call with community-college coaches and administrators, and USA Wrestling staff took place in February, with the first community-college nationals in Freestyle wrestling slated for February 2021. According to the statement:

“Those teams invited will include community college programs affiliated with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC), the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA), the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and others, as well as wrestling-related college organizations including the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA).”

Women’s wrestling is not a championship sport within the NCAA, but this is another step to build the foundation which can support its eventual inclusion.

That is, if wrestling – and many other limited-revenue sports – can survive.

LANE ONE: Did World Athletics give the U.S. a golden gift with July dates for 2022 World Champs?

By
Rich Perelman
-

/Updated/ World Athletics announced on Wednesday that it had settled on dates of 15-24 July for its 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

That’s the earliest date in history for the track & field Worlds, two weeks before the 1-10 August dates of the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece.

It also solves the scheduling problem for two other important events, the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England (27 July-7 August) and the European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany (11-21 August).

According to World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe (GBR), “This will be a bonanza for athletics fans around the world.

“They will be treated to six weeks of absolutely first-class athletics. More than 70 of our Member Federations are part of the Commonwealth and more than 50 of our Member Federations are European so our guiding principle in rescheduling the World Championships was to ensure enough space was created around the centrepiece World Athletics Championship for athletes to choose other major events to compete in. We were also very mindful that we did not want to damage the other major championships in 2022, because they are also very important to our sport.”

There is another question to be asked: whether the re-scheduling of the 2022 Worlds has created a potential bonanza for the U.S. team?

The likely answer is yes.

After all, the World Championships has always been held in mid-summer or later, with 11 of the prior 17 meets starting on 10 August or later. So those athletes – especially collegians – who were in strong form at the end of the traditional U.S. season in June had to peak again for the U.S. Nationals in July and then a third time for the Worlds in August.

No problem now. USA Track & Field hasn’t announced revised dates for its Olympic Trials in 2021 – also in Eugene – but now has to determine how it will handle the condensed time frame for the 2022 Nationals that will select the World Championships team.

All of this starts with the collegiate schedule, which has already been fixed for 2022:

● 26-28 May: NCAA Division I Regionals (in Bloomington and Fayetteville)
● 26-28 May: NCAA Division II and Division III Championships
● 08-11 June: NCAA Division I Championships

(Update: Garry Hill of Track & Field News notes that Eugene was announced as the venue for the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Division I meets in 2018, but the site is not listed on the current NCAA Championships calendar.)

The World Championships in Eugene come five weeks after the NCAA Division I meet … wherever it is. So the options for the USATF Nationals – assuming a three-day, Friday-Sunday meet – include:

● 17-19 June: Week after the NCAAs; not likely
● 24-26 June: Two weeks after NCAAs: most promising slot
● 01-03 July: Three weeks after NCAAs, but only two weeks to Worlds: no.
● 08-10 July: Too close to Worlds

In addition to the collegiate schedule, there is the matter of the Wanda Diamond League calendar, which offers significant earning opportunities for elite athletes. For 2019, those meets started early in May and the first six (of 14) were completed by 16 June, with a two-week break until the Prefontaine Classic on 30 June. So a U.S. Nationals from 24-26 June – two weeks after the NCAA meet – would work, based on the 2019 line-up.

But then there is the matter of the Pre Classic, usually held in early June, but which has been staged as late as early July. Perhaps it gets held the same weekend as the NCAAs; maybe on Sunday (12 June) as the NCAA meet will finish on Saturday? Maybe the next week?

But complicating matters further is the installation schedule for the World Championships, which is exceedingly complicated. The timing, scoring, scoreboard, warm-up, meet management, sponsorship, television and media requirements are major construction projects in their own right, even with a shiny new Hayward Field facility.

If I’m Jakob Larsen (DEN), the new World Athletics Director of Competition & Events, I’m already well aware of this, having run the highly-regarded World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus in March, 2019. The course included an iconic uphill section on the grass roof of the Moesgaard Museum, so he should be ready to plan just about anything. But he and his very experienced production team will need time to get Hayward Field ready.

For Doha in 2019, the technical installations for the meet itself – not including television broadcast needs – included 100 laser projectors and more than 500 sq. m (~ 5,400 sq. ft.!) of temporary LED screens for event production, scoreboards and decor, on top of what was already installed in the Khalifa International Stadium. The program for Eugene should be just as lavish … and will take time to install, test and program.

With all of this in mind, it may not even be possible to hold the USATF Championships – and Worlds selection meet – at Hayward Field. Certainly the top U.S. athletes will have some experience with the new facility from the 2021 Prefontaine Classic and 2021 Olympic Trials, so it may not be essential to hold the USATF meet there. But then another spot has to be found; in recent years, Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa has been a willing USATF host, and the Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas has been a good host for the NCAA Championships. Perhaps Sacramento once again? And in a year with the Worlds in the U.S. for the first time, there will likely be others interested.

All of this leaves American athletes with a cultural and experience advantage over their foreign counterparts. For generations, track & field has been a spring sport in the U.S., culminating in June with the NCAA meet on the first weekend and – for many years – the AAU Championships, then the nationals – on the weekend following.

The schedule runs a little later now, but if the American selection meet is just three weeks before the Worlds – that would be the 24-26 June slot – look for more of the collegians to be able to hold on to their form and challenge for a spot at the Worlds. And in the last Worlds held early – 4-13 August 2017 in London (GBR) – the U.S. dominated with 30 medals (10 gold) with no one else close, as Kenya was second with 11 medals (5 gold).

One cautionary note. In the only IAAF Worlds previously held in North America, in Edmonton (CAN) in 2001, the U.S. had its worst performance ever, with only 13 medals (5-5-3), second to Russia’s 18 (5-7-6)!

Since then, American track & field athletes have won 16-25-26-22-28-26-18-30-29 medals in the succeeding Worlds, topping the total medals table every time from 2005 onwards: eight times in a row.

Look for nine in Eugene, and perhaps a new medals record. The most ever won at a single IAAF Worlds is 31 by the chemically-enhanced East German team in Rome in 1987 (23 by the East German women), one ahead of the 30 the U.S. won in London in 2017. What are the odds for a new record at a World Championships not only held in the U.S. for the first time, but for the first time on a U.S.-style schedule?

Rich Perelman
Editor

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HEARD AT HALFTIME: U.S. Dept. of Justice indicts four on bribes for 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups

By
Rich Perelman
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Opening Ceremony of the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens (Photo: Wikipedia)

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

The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed indictments against four men accused of receiving bribes for votes for the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

The formal charges follow up testimony in previous cases that alleged at least three men – all from South America – received bribes to vote for Qatar, which won the right to host the 2022 event over the U.S. by 14-8, in 2010.

On Monday, Nicolas Leoz (PAR) and Ricardo Teixeira (BRA) were charged with taking bribes in the vote for the 2022 World Cup, and that Jack Warner (TTO) and Rafael Salguero (GUA) received bribes of more than $1 million to vote for Russia for the 2018 event.

Leoz, head of the South American football confederation (CONMEBOL) in 2010, died in 2019. Teixeira and Warner have remained in their home countries; 2017 testimony in other cases indicated that Argentine Julio Grondona, who died in 2014, also took a bribe to vote for Qatar.

Three broadcast executives, two of whom were part of 21st Century Fox subsidiaries, and a marketing company were charged with bribery and other crimes in the solicitation of rights to the Copa Libertadores tournament.

This is the latest installment of charges against FIFA and other football executives that began in 2015. According to the Associated Press, “there have been 26 publicly announced guilty pleas.”

A complete list of the FIFA Executive Committee members who voted for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 (and what happened to them as of December of 2015) is here.

● Athletics ● Further to our comment last week that moving the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon to July of 2022 could raise issues with the pollen season there, Prefontaine Classic meet director Tom Jordan suggested it shouldn’t be an issue:

“[M]ore effective (doping-)legal medications have really reduced the allergy problems among athletes. For example, it has been 20 years since an athlete has been seriously affected at the Prefontaine Classic, which is usually held during the peak of the pollen season. July 4th is known as Independence Day around here because beyond that date the allergens have lost their potency.”

● Basketball ● With all the hubbub surrounding the election of a great class of players into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, including Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and Tamika Catchings, the international committee also elected the late Patrick Baumann of Switzerland.

Baumann died at 51 from a heart attack in 2018 while at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires (ARG). Starting as a player, referee and coach, he was the Secretary-General of the International Basketball Association (FIBA) from 2002 until his death and was a key adviser to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. He was a member of the International Olympic Committee himself and was prominently mentioned as a possible successor to Bach after the latter’s near-sure re-election in 2021.

Baumann was also the head of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles and established a close relationship with Mayor Eric Garcetti and organizing committee head Casey Wasserman.

● Swimming ● Swimming World Magazine added details to the announcement that the International Swimming League’s initiative to pay contracted swimmers a monthly stipend during what would have been the ISL season after the 2020 Olympic Games.

With the Games moved to 2021, ISL sent a letter to an estimated 320 swimmers, the 10 ISL teams and managers and coaches. The swimmers will receive $1,500 per month for 11 months from the start of September 2020 through the start of July in 2021. The 30 ISL “ambassadors” will receive from $3,500 to $5,000 per month. Swimming World called it the “first regular wage in their sport.”

The ISL’s planned five-week “solidarity camp” from mid-October to mid-November will include a series of competitions in the ISL style; possible locations could be in Australia, Japan, Budapest (HUN) or in the U.S., in Florida. The meets will be televised, and a documentary will be made of the program.

ISL founder and funder Konstantin Grigorishin (UKR) also updated the status of its lawsuits against FINA in U.S. federal court in the Northern District of California:

“We’re still in litigation process in the United States and we’re negotiating with them through lawyers. We’ve won the case but now we’re waiting for some final court decision or settlement with FINA. We’re not against FINA in principle, we’re against a monopoly and against FINA’s approach to organising competitions and treating athletes. We’re not against an organisation that can regulate the sport.”

In fact, ISL has won nothing yet, as the main issue in the case was rendered moot by a FINA policy declaration that non-FINA entities are welcome to organize competitions. But the two suits are going nowhere fast and should be settled, sooner rather than later.

● Weightlifting ● Doping and weightlifting continue to be a couple, as the International Weightlifting Federation announced substantial penalties against the national federations in Malaysia and Thailand due to multiple doping violations.

The sanctions were imposed by the federation’s independent disciplinary panel on 1 April:

● Malaysia was banned from the 2020 Olympic Games, taking place in 2021, and its athletes are banned for 11 months from the date when the next IWF competition takes place (in addition to the country’s voluntary recusal since 30 May 2018). The federation was banned from all IWF activities through 1 April 2021, but could be reinstated as early as 1 October 2020, based on a series of requirements.

● Thailand was banned from Tokyo 2020 (for 2021), was fined $200,000 and its under-18 lifters are banned for five months from the date of the next IWF event, and its senior-level competitors are banned for 11 months from that date (in addition to their voluntary recusal since 7 March 2019). The federation is suspended from the IWF until 1 April 2023 (three years). This could be reviewed as early as 7 March 2022, based on federation compliance with a defined set of anti-doping actions.

These sanctions can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by 21 April.

The IWF-ordered independent investigation into major doping issues raised by the German ARD documentary “Lord of the Lifters” that aired in January continues, under the direction of Canadian law professor Richard McLaren.

● At the BuZZer ● In addition to all of the tumult, it’s also worth noting that Monday (6 April) is also the 124th anniversary of the revival of the Olympic Games, in Athens, Greece in 1896.

The Opening Ceremony, with 241 athletes from 14 countries, took place in the ancient Panathenaic Stadium before an estimated crowd of 80,000 (pictured above). Five events and two finals took place in the stadium on that first day, all in track & field.

● The preliminary round of the 100 m began the program, with American Francis Lane winning the first race in modern Olympic history in 12.2. Heats were also held in the 400 m and 800 m.

● In the triple jump, Harvard’s James Connolly became the first Olympic gold medalist in the modern era, reaching 13.71 m (44-11 3/4). Connolly also finished third in the long jump on 7 April.

● In the discus, Princeton’s Robert Garrett won on his final throw, of 29.15 m (95-7 1/4). He also won the shot and was second in the high jump and long jump. He competed in Paris in 1900, taking bronzes in the shot and the standing triple jump.

From this humble beginning, a giant tradition grew.

LANE ONE: The coronavirus crisis is an opportunity to blow sport up and start over; FIFA’s Infantino is already on it

By
Rich Perelman
-

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In the wake of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, business has appeared to stop. It hasn’t.

Instead, as one veteran television executive put it to me recently, it’s an opportunity to blow everything up and start over. And in sports, the head of the world’s largest international federation is doing exactly that.

Just before the virus shut down the world of on-field sport, FIFA’s Gianni Infantino (SUI) addressed the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) at its 44th Ordinary Congress in Amsterdam (NED). In an excellent, 11-minute address, he told the assembly of the heads of European soccer that it’s time to look into changing everything:

“It’s important to have a spirit, a philosophy of debate, of discussion and to see what comes out. Maybe nothing, maybe something, but if we don’t discuss, we will not know it.

“As FIFA vice-president and president of the English F.A. [Greg Clarke] said after that meeting as well of the [International Football Association Board] where he praised the spirit of cooperation between everyone and mentioned in this spirit of cooperation the ongoing discussions on the international match calendar. I think that this will be really the topic – the international match calendar – that we have to focus on for the future of football. … It has to be fine-tuned. It has to be debated. It has to be discussed by all stakeholders.

“We have to ask ourselves many questions that maybe we avoided to ask ourselves in the past. ‘How many matches can a player play in a year?’ ‘How many competitions do we have?’ ‘How many competitions should we have?’ ‘What kind of competitions do we need for the future?’ ‘Do we play too much or don’t we play enough, maybe, in some parts of the world?’ And we have to realize that the international match calendar is a global match calendar which has to take into account many issues such as, of course, climate and geography.

“And, you know, [in] this we need to consider the fans as well. The fans are the lifeblood of football. I had the pleasure to assist in Belfast on Saturday the quarterfinal of the Irish F.A. Cup between Glentoran and Crusaders, and it was freezing cold. But there were a few thousand people watching this game and supporting their team. These are the true, core football fans and we have to work for them, of course, and offer them what they want to see, and if possible even a little bit more.”

How many sports as successful as football – the world’s most financially successful sport – are willing to look at everything? Not enough.

The questions Infantino is asking are the keys to success, but you rarely hear even the athletes involved voicing these issues in the comprehensive way Infantino did. Read them again:

(1) How many matches can a player play in a year?
(2) How many competitions do we have?
(3) How many competitions should we have?
(4) What kind of competitions do we need for the future?
(5) Do we play too much or don’t we play enough?
(6) How can fans get what they want to see, and if possible even a little bit more?

These questions – and one more noted below – apply to every sport, but most are set in their ways with a calendar that is either set by chance, by tradition or according to the whim of a supporter or sponsor. Time to blow it up – at least on paper – and start again … and see if the new concepts look anything like the current program.

One sport already in tumult is swimming, which has seen FINA, one of the most financially-sound federations, challenged by the new International Swimming League, founded and supported by Ukrainian metallurgy billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin.

With swimming’s schedule now being reset in the wake of the move of the 2020 Olympic Games to 2021, Swimming World Magazine reported that the head of the 14,000-member World Swimming Coaches Association, American George Block, has asked the FINA Coaches Commission to completely revise the way the sport is contested at the international level.

The magazine reported Block’s letter as suggesting:

“● handing the northern winter season over to the International Swimming League (ISL) in a new Pro-Sports partnership

“● shunting the World long-course Championships to 2022 or even 2023

“● dropping universality in favour of soccer-style regionalism; and

“● using the knockout blow of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic ‘as an opportunity to de-clutter the international schedule, create co-branding strategies … and to re-think international swimming, rather than focus on short-term finances’.”

Wrote Block:

“This opens a bigger, philosophic question. There are already too many ‘championships’. The International Federations (in all sports) have created – strictly for financial reasons – additional World Championships, World Cups, World Qualifiers, etc. The profits from these events grew the corruption capacity of the IFs, but it also lessened the importance of the unique, historic and traditional regional events.

“I cannot see FINA (or any of the other IFs) giving up their revenue-generating events, but this would be a wonderful opportunity to relook at the world calendar and rebuild it around the local events.”

Infantino is not the only one thinking about the future.

The head of World Athletics, Britain’s Sebastian Coe, wanted to tackle this question when he was elected in 2015, but has been bogged down in the Diack bribery and extortion scandals and the Russian doping quagmire. The recent hiring of Dane Jakob Larsen to head the federation’s Competition and Events team also carries with it the responsibility to figure out the sport’s disjointed calendar for the future (and with a new commission to do so).

Not mentioned by Infantino – because in football, it’s not a major issue – or by Block, is the added question that many athletes will raise if given the opportunity:

(7) How can I make a living in my chosen sport?

In the case of many of the sports on the Olympic program, it’s impossible. But if athletes, coaches, promoters, broadcasters, current and potential sponsors and the applicable federation actually discussed this together, the result would be (a) a better grip on reality and (b) the start of a real plan for the future.

FIFA, with Infantino pushing already, is moving ahead, trying to make the world’s biggest sport even bigger. In fact, he has released his own vision to do so, entitled “Football 2020-23: Truly Global.”

Everyone else is already playing catch-up with FIFA and if there isn’t vigorous movement in other sports to consider what they could be – as opposed to what they are – they’ll be even further behind.

And then there may be nothing to blow up at all.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE BIG PICTURE: World Games moved to 2022; three T&F champs in six weeks in ‘22, and pollen problems in Eugene?

By
Rich Perelman
-

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The ripple effects of the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games into 2021 are now being dealt with by international federations and multi-sport event bodies.

The XI World Games, to be held in Birmingham, Alabama, has been moved to 7-17 July of 2022. This is about a week earlier than the expected 2021 dates, but maintains the event in the American summer.

The reasons, as we will hear again and again, centered on logistics:

“When the IOC announced its decision, the [Birmingham Organizing Committee] urgently set about assessing what alternative dates might be viable, particularly regarding venues and accommodation. Meanwhile, the staff of the IWGA were establishing when the vital services provided by key partners, such as Swiss Timing and International Sports Broadcasting, could still be made available.”

More of these decisions are coming soon.

● Athletics ● The decision to move the 2021 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon to 2022 has already been made, but now the schedule is really crowded, with the Worlds, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (ENG) and the European Athletics Championships in Munich (GER) all on the schedule.

World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe (GBR) hopes for all three to be held in 2022, with perhaps one each in July (Worlds), August (Commonwealth Games) and Euros (August).

“I do want the treble to be on,” said Coe. “We’ve really not left any stone unturned here and we’ve still some conversations to go. We’re trying to navigate our way through what is a window, not much more than about six weeks, which is really challenging. But my guiding principle is that I don’t want to put athletes in a position where they’re perming one from three.”

A new problem for the Oregon21 organizers to consider: any early summer date for the World Championships in Eugene must take into account the ferocious pollen season in the area! According to OregonAllergyAssociates.com: “Usually the grass season is at its peak from Memorial Day (end of May) to Fourth of July, but depending on the climate can shift a little earlier or a little later.”

As for the Commonwealth Games, currently set for 27 July-7 August, Commonwealth Games Foundation President David Grevemberg (USA) told Britain’s The Telegraph, “We are working collaboratively with our international federation partners, including World Athletics and UEFA, to ensure the XXII Commonwealth Games maintains its position and stature on the global sporting calendar.”

Because of the coronavirus, the UEFA men’s championship has been pushed from 2020 to 2021 and the UEFA women’s tournament from 2021 to 2022.

Kenya’s The Standard reported that nearly 20 people were arrested on Thursday evening after locking themselves into a bar, violating a 7 p.m. curfew in Iten to fight the coronavirus.

The group included former marathon world-record holder Wilson Kipsang (2:03:23 in 2013), as well as a County Assembly member. “Our officers found the [County Assembly member], the athlete and other revelers hiding in a popular club in Iten. These are high profile individuals who should be helping us in enforcement of the curfew,” said Police Commander John Mwinzi.

● Swimming ● The International Swimming League, imperiled by the move of the Olympic Games to 2021, made a bold move to re-structure its 2020-21 program to accommodate – and induce its contracted athletes to continue their participation.

The ISL Solidarity Initiative announcement states “each athlete that has signed or will sign a contract with an ISL Club will receive an equal amount of money per month, starting 1st September 2020 until 1st July 2021. This financial grant shall assist the swimmers during these challenging times to prepare for major events in 2021 and a full ISL season in 2021/22. …

“As part of our initiative, ISL will organize later in 2020 an innovative training and competition experience for athletes and coaches for a duration of 4-5 weeks. We propose to host all athletes in one location in a world-class facility and cover all associated expenses. All athletes involved will have the opportunity to be accompanied by their home coach. During this period, scheduled from 14 October to 17 November, ISL will organize a commercial tournament in its revolutionary club format and add an exciting new reality concept to the production.”

This placement on the calendar conflicts with the last two of the six scheduled FINA Swimming World Cup events on 23-25 October (Berlin (GER)) and 30 October-1 November in Budapest (HUN), but steers clear of the short-course Worlds slated for 15-20 December in Abu Dhabi (UAE).

Comment: For the ISL perspective, this is probably better than actually having to produce its promised 27-event schedule from September to April, and offers a better opportunity to obtain buy-in from potential sponsors in the disrupted sports calendar of the next year. But even this bold programming idea could fall apart if there are further pandemic-related issues.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The first to deepening the mental-health resources available to elite American athletes was taken with the formation of a 13-member “Mental Health Taskforce.” The group includes four athletes, a coach, two medical doctors, a psychologist and a professor in counseling.

“We are acutely aware of the mental health concerns facing our athletes – heightened by the current environment in the Olympic and Paralympic community – and are fully dedicated to being an active leader in providing support and resources to help athletes navigate the pressures, and at times, uncertainty, of their careers,” said Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, the USOPC’s chief medical officer. “The goal of the taskforce is to ensure athletes, and the staff who are entrusted with their care, are well-informed and prepared to recognize and respond to individuals in need, both before and once mental health concerns arise.”

The USOPC expects the work of this new group to lay the foundation for a more comprehensive mental-health program for American athletes, but no timetable has been set.

This is another step by the USOPC in fulfilling its promises to its Athletes Advisory Council and to the U.S. Congress, which may revisit its inquiry into the suitability of current legislation governing the U.S. Olympic Movement whenever it gets back to regular business.

LANE ONE: “All of us, we have to look at whether we are going to do exactly the same in a year from now, or whether we will have to adjust”

By
Rich Perelman
-

With the postponement of the Tokyo Games to 2021 now confirmed, the enormous task of re-organizing the event for one year later is now underway in Tokyo, as well as around the world as staff members of International Olympic Committee work from home during the coronavirus pandemic.

This was explored in a rare teleconference that featured four of the IOC’s staff directors and not President Thomas Bach (GER). Instead, the speakers included Executive Director of the Olympic Games Christophe Dubi (SUI), Sports Director Kit McConnell (AUS), National Olympic Committee Relations and Olympic Solidarity Director James Macleod (GBR), and Timo Lumme (FIN), the Managing Director of the IOC Television and Marketing Services. About 200 news media telephoned in live and more grabbed the audio recording here.

The short summary: the athlete experience is expected to be the same – more or less – in a year’s time. Everything else is up for review.

Dubi articulated this well in his opening remarks:

“One has to understand that Tokyo 2020 and the authorities were really close to delivery. When we speak [of] four months out, this is a machine that is ready to deliver. It has been trained, they have their volunteers identified, everybody is ready to go …

“And it’s a machine that was built on fundamentals built at the time of the candidature; this is seven years ago, where you have an Olympic Village that was contracted at the time, built and ready to operate. You have 41 sport venues, sport being the very core of everything: 41 venues that had very detailed contracts. Convention centers that would be hosting some of the competitions, but also media centers, such as the Tokyo Big Sight. Forty thousand hotel rooms that were booked by the organizing committee, plus many thousands of others booked internationally by agencies to host the world. Two thousand buses, logistics spaces, thousands of contracts for good and services, and all this towards a date, which was this summer.

“And all of this now has to be re-secured, one year later. So, it’s a massive undertaking to get to the fundamentals and make sure that, in a matter of weeks, we have secured all of this so that then, you have a task which is to plan for the remainder of the 16 months to go, [which] can be done with some certainty regarding these fundamental pieces that needs to be in place.”

There were lots of questions about the financial impact of the postponement on athletes, on National Olympic Committees and the International Federations. As regards athletes, especially those receiving IOC support through the Olympic Solidarity program, Macleod explained:

“We’re under no illusions; this [crisis] will have an impact in the future. NOCs are already looking at how they are going to be working and operating in the future. But some of the things we have managed to do immediately is to re-assure them that some of the key programs that are preparing for the Olympic Games – so you may have seen yesterday – we confirmed already Olympic Solidarity scholarships for athletes who are preparing for the Tokyo Games, and the refugee athletes program. And these are very important programs for NOCs just to have that assurance that their athletes will continue to get support in the lead-up to the Games.

“We’ve got over 1,600 scholarship holders from 185 NOCs that are currently benefitting now, and the feedback that we got from the NOCs on just that one move – which was important for us to make right quickly – allows them really to look forward in a positive way and say that the teams that they’ll be sending to the Games will still get that support.”

McConnell addressed the IF question … very carefully:

“We’re very conscious of the impact of the coronavirus across the world of sport, and sport not operating in isolation of wider society. We know the federations have lost a number of events this season and the revenues not only from this season, but potentially the next calendar year will be impacted as well. … And it is not only the IFs obviously, it’s the national federations, their event operators and everyone else. …

“I think it’s too early for us to speculate in terms of what the situation will be coming out of it and what the IOC’s role with the federations will be. But I think we again would acknowledge the challenge a lot of them will have, are having and the fact that they are assessing that themselves at the moment, and we will continue to discuss that with them, to assess it and see what role we can play with them in addressing that.”

Asked about what arrangements are being made with broadcasters in terms of payment of rights fees, Lumme also said that discussions had been started, but that’s all.

Dubi indicated that the costs involved, and the new timeframe of the Games, will provide both the opportunity and the requirement to review almost – but not quite – everything once again:

“Sport remains front and center of everything we do and there we can guarantee that it’s going to be the same great delivery when it comes to the core, and the athletes at the very center as well, where nothing will be touched here, so they can maximize, and we can all witness, their performances.

“Now, when it comes to all of us, and I mean the media organization, the IOC and everyone that has an operation in Tokyo, we are facing a different landscape. All of us, we have to look at whether we are going to do exactly the same in a year from now, or whether we will have to adjust.

“I’m not revealing any secrets here: we were with some of the big media organizations earlier in the day and asked exactly that question. How do you see the Games in a year for you? Will you have exactly the same operation or not? Should we change some of the baseline assumptions in order to plan for these Games one year later according to what will be needed at that time?

“So it’s a combined effort from everyone to look at what will be needed, what we have to adjust and address and this work has started with Tokyo 2020 as well, because a number of things, they can look at maybe slightly differently. Can we review some of the logistics spaces that we had? Can we optimize some of these spaces? Where can we find different solutions in order to reduce the pressure? And the one thing we have delivered as a message to everyone in our different conversations and dialogue with stakeholders is ‘let’s make sure we all do the right thing in trying to be creative, innovative; we have time ahead of us to further help Tokyo’; although we have this incredible commitment from the government, at the highest level, we still have to do this work to assist and make sure we do the right thing. So we’re looking at the entire piece and see where we can gain efficiencies.”

Taking Dubi at his word, this is another indicator of the maturation of the IOC into the 21st Century. In a prior time, a postponement of the Games would have been unheard of, and a delay of a year would have been an opportunity to pour on the pressure for more bells and whistles, all at the expense of the organizing committee.

But Dubi and his fellow directors – especially McConnell and Macleod – will be pressed hard by IFs and NOCs to advance some of their “Tokyo 2020″ money before the Games take place in 2021, in order to stay afloat. How the IOC handles this will shape its place in international sport well into this decade.

Having already reformed the financial environment in which Olympic Games are organized, the IOC now has an opportunity in front of it to cool some of the criticism it always receives about how well its members are treated during the Games. Buses instead of private cars, more modest hospitality and more recognition for the organizing committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese national government and the enormous volunteer corps set to support the Games can go a long way.

(Flashback: One of the surprise gestures of the 1984 Games in Los Angeles was the distribution of a special pin to all of the LAOOC staff at the end of the Games, featuring the word “Gracias” above the initials J.A.S., from IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. A small thing, but still a prized possession in many personal collections of Games memorabilia.)

McConnell also explained the qualification program, noting that while about 57% of all of the Games entries had been assigned, that did not mean that a specific athlete had been identified. For example, the U.S. men’s basketball team has qualified for the Tokyo tournament, but the specific players have yet to be selected. But for those who have qualified personally, like marathoners Galen Rupp and Aliphine Tuliamuk of the U.S., their spots are safe, as long as endorsed by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

McConnell also noted that discussions are ongoing with several international federations over athletes who are subject to age limits, such as the under-23 requirement for men’s football. He expected those discussions to be concluded in the next couple of weeks. McConnell also confirmed that, at least for now, the competition schedule will remain the same, including the marathons and race walks in Sapporo.

This teleconference was a great idea by the IOC, showing that it is more than simply Thomas Bach. Spokesman Mark Adams (GBR) promised more sessions in the future, which can help to humanize the IOC to an extent rarely seen in its century-plus history.

What of Tokyo? There are a lot of details to chase after, but if the organizers can hold on to the 41 competition venues and the major support sites, much of the work already completed can be re-confirmed in a few months. But to do that, the coronavirus crisis must pass, and neither the IOC or the Japanese can say when they will be.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE TICKER: More Tokyo bid questions? Swimming in chaos after Tokyo goes to 2021; USA Rugby files for bankruptcy

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● Just when it seemed like the Tokyo organizers could take a deep breath and start to re-set their plans for 2021, a lengthy Reuters story re-surfaced questions about how Tokyo was awarded the event back in 2013.

Former International Assn. of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President and International Olympic Committee member Lamine Diack of Senegal is to be tried on bribery, extortion and money-laundering charges in France in June, after a January trial start was delayed due to new information received from a Senegalese court procedure involving his son, Papa Massata Diack.

One of the allegations in Diack’s trial is receipt of more than $2 million just days in advance of the vote on the 2020 Games, suspected to part of a bribery campaign run by Diack and funded by the Japanese bid committee through a consulting contract with a firm in which the younger Diack had an interest.

The Reuters story revealed that Hariyuki Takahashi, a former senior managing director of the Japanese advertising giant Dentsu, was paid $8.2 million by the bid committee for lobbying activities, which included contacts with – and gifts for – Diack. According to the story:

“He said he urged Diack to support the Tokyo bid and denied any impropriety in those dealings. He said it was normal to provide gifts as a way of currying good relations with important officials like Diack. He said there was nothing improper with the payments he received or with the way he used the money.”

Reuters also reported that “The Tokyo bid committee also paid $1.3 million to a little-known non-profit institute run by former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, a powerful figure in Japanese sports and the head of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee.”

The news agency stated that while the banking records that included these payments were sent to the French investigators, no one has been asked about these payments.

As for Takahashi’s $8.2 million payment, “Nobumoto Higuchi, the secretary general of the bid committee, said Takahashi earned commissions on the corporate sponsorships he collected for the bid. ‘Takahashi has connections,’ Higuchi said. ‘We needed someone who understands the business world.’”

The Tokyo organizers sent a message to its ticket buyers on Wednesday that included:

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 has been postponed as was announced on 24 March 2020, and the new dates for the Games have now been confirmed. In light of this, we would like to state that the tickets that have been already purchased will be valid for the same session on the new date where possible, in accordance with the following policies:

“∙ Your tickets will be refunded if you will not be able to visit the venue on a new date and wish to get a refund.

“∙ In case it is not possible to honour your tickets due to the change in competition schedule or venue, your tickets will be refunded.

“∙ Previously, we planned to deliver the Games tickets in June, but we will reschedule it for a later date.

“*If you have requested a full refund of your tickets for Men’s Marathon and/or Women’s Marathon, we will proceed with your request as we announced earlier.

“The tickets that have been already purchased will be handled in line with the above principles. We will make a further announcement once the details of the Games are decided.

“Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused. We are currently working hard to finalize plans and will provide more information as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

None of this is surprising, considering the organizers can sell any tickets they can get back to the domestic market, which has shown overwhelming demand for the Games. But just days after the Games were postponed, the organizers are already in touch with those who have purchased tickets already; that’s very good.

● Gymnastics ● One of the difficult aspects of the Olympics moving to 2021 is that some athletes were ready to retire after the 2020 Games. That includes superstar Simone Biles.

She told the Associated Press of the change of date, “It’s a letdown. It’s hard to keep looking at that like, ‘We have another year.’

“Well, nothing is really set in stone yet. We’re trying to figure out the right training [regimen] just so mentally and physically we can try and stay on top of our game. We’re just playing it by ear and really just listening to my body. …

“I was just mentally battling my mind and I was so ready and not mentally checked out, but I was ready after three months to be done. That’s a lot to take mentally.”

● Rugby ● On Monday, USA Rugby filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, a move toward a reorganization only partly due to the coronavirus epidemic.

“The current suspension of sanctioned rugby activities caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the existing financial challenges facing the Union, and a reorganization process will now be progressed with input from World Rugby. …

“Given the ongoing financial challenges following a 2019 budgetary overspend, the unplanned loss of income advanced an insurmountable cashflow deficit and immediate action needed to be taken in order to sustain operations within USA Rugby and the rugby community.”

World Rugby is supporting the federation to the tune of $1.09 million (€1 million) plus administrative assistance, according to chief executive Brett Gosper, and the reorganization could conclude in as little as 30 days.

National federations in Australia and England have also reported financial losses and Gosper noted that “The various World Cups, as well as the very interesting financial outlook of the 2023 World Cup in France, put World Rugby in a favorable position. I’m not saying we have unlimited funds, but we can borrow to help federations that are, or will be, in great financial difficulty.”

● Swimming ● Of all the sports dealing with the postponement of the 2020 Games, swimming might be the most impacted.

At the top is what to do about the 2021 World Aquatics Championships, scheduled to be held in Fukuoka (JPN) in the last two weeks of July. That’s in direct conflict with the 2021 Olympic dates.

The obvious choice would be to go to 2022, but there are reports that FINA is also considering moving the event to mid-August of 2021 (or a little later), right after the Games, or to the springtime, to maintain the event in 2021. But – paralleling its objection to holding the Olympics in 2020 – Swim Canada has come out against a 2021 date. According to Swim Canada’s Head of Performance John Atkinson:

“Having the two premier Games and championships staged close together in the same year would create many challenges. From budgets to program planning, to timing, to the risks of athletes being overloaded, there are so many unknowns. As we continue to navigate the uncertainty of this current global situation, we encourage FINA and World Para Swimming to choose 2022 as the best alternative for the world championships.”

Now the German Swimming Federation has declared its preference for 2022 as well. Its performance director, Thomas Kurschilgen told Swimming World Magazine:

“We consider staging two absolute highlights on a global scale in one year as a challenge that [the sport] would struggle to cope with. Beyond the additional stress of peak performance for the athletes, the economic stresses that would be placed on national associations would further strain the federal budget and that needs to be taken into account.

“It is also important to ask whether a World Championships n the Olympic year would have the resonance it normally enjoys.”

The clear answer is that a FINA Worlds held after the Games would be an afterthought.

Hall of Fame coach Bill Sweetenham (AUS) told Swimming World that the Olympic Games need to be the priority:

“The Olympics is the only competition that matters, the rest are pretenders! They should prioritise the Olympics first and foremost as, historically, no-one, but no-one, recognises or remembers any other result or competition.”

He added later in the story:

“Remember, only the Olympics count! Forget FINA or any associated events. Maintain focus; handle distractions; manage emotions; and … instill all advantages in place for the athletes in your care.”

Already deeply impacted by the move of the Olympic Games to 2021 is the International Swimming League, which had promised to expand its post-2020 Games program to 27 meets held from September 2020 through March 2021. That’s clearly not viable now, with swimmers focused on training for Tokyo during much of this time. ISL will need a new strategy to figure out how to work around the Tokyo Games schedule and then the FINA Worlds, whenever it is.

● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● Almost lost in the hubbub over the movement of the Tokyo Games to 2021 was a modest new set of bylaw amendments proposed by the USOPC Board.

The new language, now available for public review, raises the level of representation for athletes to 33.3% with at least 20% for athletes who have represented the U.S. within the past 10 years and 13.3% (or more) for athletes who represented the U.S. more than 10 years ago.

There are also a large number of technical changes listed, and further changes coming. A third set of revisions is in discussion, which could include raising the athlete representation on National Governing Body boards and committees to 33.3% as well, and more specificity on NGB oversight from the USOPC Board and committees.

● The Last Word ● It’s not all gloom and doom. U.S. Figure Skating reported a major change in the Americans Pairs scene, with Chris Knierim deciding to retire, but his wife Alexa, continuing to compete. The two were three-time U.S. Pairs champs.

Haven Denney and long-time partner Brandon Frazier, the 2017 U.S. champs, decided to split up, and a few days later, Frazier and Alexa Knierim announced that they would skating together going forward.

The story added that everyone is fine with the decisions, and that “The team includes coaches Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, as well as Chris, who will join the pair’s primary coaching team. Chris was present for the tryout, offering both technical advice and more emotional support for his wife and old friend [Brandon].”

HEARD AT HALFTIME: Tokyo 2020 dates confirmed for 2021; domino effect on calendar begins; new Olympic Rings for Tokyo?

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● To the surprise of almost no one, the Tokyo Games will take place exactly a year later, as jointly announced by the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo organizers:

“These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organisation of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new dates, exactly one year after those originally planned for 2020 (Olympic Games: 24 July to 9 August 2020 and Paralympic Games: 25 August to 6 September 2020), also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar can be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the IFs. Additionally, they will provide sufficient time to finish the qualification process. The same heat mitigation measures as planned for 2020 will be implemented.”

Essentially, the Games were postponed on 23 March and re-scheduled by 30 March, in both cases, far faster than the time frames that the IOC and the organizers gave themselves.

From the standpoint of the organizing committee, maintaining the same place on the calendar will save thousands of hours of work that would have been needed to re-figure ordering, training and deployment milestones leading to the Games. The current plan can be maintained, and implemented once the pandemic has subsided. There has still not been a declaration in Japan of a state of emergency from the virus, and “Japan is moving toward approving [anti-flu drug] Avigan’s use for COVID-19 patients following cases in which the medicine has proved effective.”

The question was immediately raised in many quarters about whether the coronavirus threat will be over in enough time to permit not only the Games, but training and qualification. The answer: no one knows. As Abraham Lincoln said in 1861 of a threat of hostilities with Great Britain over a diplomatic incident known as the Trent Affair: “One war at a time.”

● Vox Populi: From 1976 four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist John Naber:

“With all the sympathy being shared for the unfortunate Olympians and Olympic hopefuls, (and sponsors and broadcasters and tourists) let’s not forget about the Paralympians and Paralympic Games.”

True, and the dates of the Paralympic Games have also been fixed – as noted above – for 2021.

As reported by Reuters, the Australian Olympic Committee denied that its 22 March announcement that it could not assemble a team for Tokyo 2020 on its original dates was made in “collusion” with either the Canadian Olympic Committee or the IOC: “At no point were either the IOC or COC aware of, or involved in, this process.”

The COC has also denied any outside collaboration in their declaration that it would not attend the Games in 2020. It had been suggested that the Australian statement had been developed at the behest of an IOC member to help pressure the Japanese government to agreement to postpone the Games.

● International Federations ● World Athletics quickly issued a statement that noted the new Olympic dates and confirmed that the 2021 World Championships scheduled for Eugene, Oregon, will be moved to 2022, and is in contact with the Commonwealth Games Federation due to the potential conflict in the Birmingham 2022 Games.

While the track & field federation indicated that the planned World U-20 Championships in Nairobi (KEN) are being postponed (for now), USA Track & Field posted a notice that the U.S. U-20 Champs planned for mid-June in Miramar, Florida, are canceled. Also in the U.S., bans on collegiate practices are being extended; the Pac-12 had already eliminated all competitions through the spring and today banned “organized team activities” through 31 May.

FINA posted a statement that it will “examine a revision” of its 2021 World Aquatics Championships, scheduled to take place from 16 July-1 August in Fukuoka, Japan. FINA will “consult with stakeholders including athletes, coaches, national federations, TV partners and sponsors in order to determine the most appropriate solution.”

One group which has only slightly altered its plans, is FISU, the governing body for worldwide university sport. It’s 2021 World University Games will take place in Chengdu (CHN), but moved two days later to 18-29 August, starting nine days after Tokyo closes.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA), still on IOC suspension, has had to postpone its Extraordinary Congress again due to the pandemic, possibly all the way to the end of the year. Its status was supposed to be revisited by the IOC after the Tokyo Games, and that’s now more than a year away. AIBA’s internal governance process may be improved by the measures taken at its Congress, but its dismal financial situation is yet to be repaired.

● Gymnastics ● The coronavirus has also slowed the hearings schedule in the many actions vs. USA Gymnastics, relating to the Larry Nassar abuse scandal. A hearing scheduled for Tuesday at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana to consider the federation’s Disclosure Statement for its reorganization plan – which could lead to a vote by claimants on the $217.5 million settlement offer – has been postponed until the matter can be heard in a live court with all interested parties present.

A side matter dealing with USA Gymnastics’ objection to “misclassified claims” is scheduled for a telephonic hearing tomorrow.

● At the BuZZer ● There isn’t a lot to laugh about in these difficult times, but reader Jan Fambro noted there is still humor out there, as Brands of the World (@brandsotw) shared on Instagram a new look (via @madovermarketing_mom) for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic rings (as shown above).

Social distancing indeed!

LANE ONE: Ingratitude, money, politics, winners and losers ~ 5 takeaways from the Tokyo move to 2021

By
Rich Perelman
-

I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There’s gotta be a little rain some time
~ from the 1970 Grammy Award-winning “Rose Garden”
by Lynn Anderson (1947-2015)

With the Tokyo organizers now working to determine, with the International Olympic Committee, when a re-scheduled Games of the XXXII Olympiad would be held, it’s worth considering what we learned during the process.

The national news agency in Japan, Kyodo, reported in a Saturday post that “a time frame from July 23, 2021 to Aug. 8 has emerged as a strong candidate. … Holding the event later rather than earlier [in the spring] would allow more margin for error and give the coronavirus pandemic more time to run its course.”

This would be on the same date footprint as for 2020, when the Games were slated for 24 July to 7 August. Now to the takeaways:

[1] Postponement will cost money, and this could have an impact on the Games

There can be no doubt that the current $12.6 billion budget for the Tokyo Games is going to be insufficient to put on the event in 2021. Said organizing committee chief executive Toshiro Muto:

“We need to assess whether [the venues] will be available when we need them next year. There will be additional costs that come with this – and we expect it will probably be massive.

“We are dealing with the postponement of the Games, which has never happened in history. The task is daunting.”

The organizers and the Japanese government will get the job done; after all, they could have walked away from the project altogether. But it will be interesting to see how the costs are managed, especially with regard to staff and to items which were planned, but not yet ordered or delivered.

Two groups to watch in this area will be the National Olympic Committees and International Federations. The NOCs, which sends the athletes to the Games, will be looking for refunds and re-bookings of pre-Games training camps and hospitality arrangements with groups other than the organizing committee. The IFs were already on record in May of 2019 as being unhappy with Tokyo’s budget cuts from its original plan. The then-chief executive of World Sailing, Andy Hunt (GBR), said “I don’t have any guilt on my part that I’m asking for things that aren’t needed” (he has since left World Sailing).

Regardless of the financial situation for Tokyo, the federations are likely to be quite intolerant about any cuts for 2021. The International Judo Federation’s Relations Manager, Larissa Kiss (HUN) complained last year, “We do not want to be as we were in Rio, where the Look was quite cheap.”

Easy to complain when it’s not your money at stake.

[2] Athletes are on the razor’s edge already, so hard to expect much understanding from them

It was easy to appreciate the frustration from athletes in countries in which the coronavirus was spreading. On 22 March (Sunday), when the IOC announced that a change in the dates of the Games was possible and that a decision would be coming within four weeks, British sprint star Dina Asher-Smith posted on Twitter:

“So wait… does this mean that athletes face up to another FOUR weeks of finding ways to fit in training – whilst potentially putting ourselves, coaches, support staff and loved ones at risk just to find out they were going to be postponed anyway!!!”

The Games were postponed a couple of days later, but where Asher-Smith thanks the British National Health Service for their efforts against the coronavirus, not a word of thanks to the Tokyo organizers for agreeing to spend billions to put on the Games in 2021.

And not much on this from other athletes, or from the NOCs or IFs, with a couple of notable exceptions. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, which launched a widely-ignored “Thank You, Japan” initiative in 2019, sent a letter from chief executive Sarah Hirshland to all American athletes, and which was also posted publicly, starting with:

“Despite the feeling of eventuality that so many of us have felt in the lead up to this moment – my heart breaks for you, your fellow athletes around the world, our friends at Tokyo 2020, the people of Japan, and all who are impacted by this global pandemic and the decision to postpone the Tokyo Games 2020.”

The Australian Olympic Committee, which four days earlier said it was impossible to attend the Games in 2020, posted a statement from chief executive Matt Carroll that included:

“But I have no doubt that when the world moves past these very difficult times, the Tokyo Olympic Games will provide an opportunity for the world to reconnect in a spirit of unity and hope. Japan is up to the task and they will do a great job.”

Most of the other NOCs and IFs made perfunctory references to “supporting” Tokyo 2020.

That’s not enough.

It’s pretty common to see “Thank you [name of city]” shirts or signs from athletes when they tumble into the Closing Ceremony of any Games. For 2021, the IOC should require a “Thank You Tokyo” patch, sash or sign on every person who marches in the Opening Ceremony in 2021.

The same should be done in the Olympic Village, during the Welcome Ceremony for each National Olympic Committee. Let’s see how many NOCs care enough to recognize the sacrifice being made on their behalf by the people of Japan and Tokyo.

[3] The whining about the IOC not being athlete-centric is laughable

There was plenty of commentary from athletes, officials and news media about “how long” it took the IOC and the Japanese to postpone the Games, an “enormous” stretch of 13 days from the World Health Organization declared a worldwide pandemic.

The predictable call was, of course, for everyone involved in the IOC to resign and put in “athletes” who would have done better. This is actually pretty funny to anyone who has watched the IOC morph over the decades. In fact, of the 15 members of the decision-making IOC Executive Board, six are former Olympians themselves and three more were international-class competitors in their sports:

President (1 of 1):
● Thomas Bach (GER) ~ Olympian/Fencing 1976

Vice Presidents (1 of 4):
● Anita DeFrantz (USA) ~ Olympian/Rowing 1976

Members (7 of 10):
● Sergey Bubka (UKR) ~ Olympian/Athletics 1988-92-96-2000
● Kirsty Coventry (ZIM) ~ Olympian/Swimming 2000-04-08-12-16
● Nicole Hoevertsz (ARU) ~ Olympian/Artistic Swimming 1984
● Denis Oswald (SUI) ~ Olympian/Rowing 1968-72-76
● Ivo Ferriani (ITA) ~ International competitor/Bobsled
● Ser Miang Ng (SGP) ~ International competitor/Sailing
● Dr. Robin Mitchell (FIJ) ~ International competitor/Athletics and Field Hockey

For those who have followed the IOC for a long time, this kind of ex-athlete-dominated Executive Board – nine of 15 members – was unthinkable until recent years. It’s also worth noting that both Mitchell and Turkey’s Ugur Erdener (a Vice President) are medical doctors. But that doesn’t mean much to the activists, who simply want their own way. Pathetic.

[4] A 2021 Games could create a new look for the international calendar

Despite the silly statement of at least one International Federation executive that the move to 2021 for the Games won’t change their calendar of events next year, the reality could herald a change for the future.

If the Tokyo Games are held on essentially the same dates as scheduled for 2020, it will force both FINA and World Athletics to move their World Championships from 2021 to 2022. By doing so, it will set up World Championships in consecutive years for both for the first time ever.

Could this become permanent?

It’s possible, as both will be able to judge the worldwide reception to having such events each year instead of every other year. For both federations, it could usher in the possibility of holding their Worlds in all three non-Olympic years. We’ll know by the end of 2023.

[5] Winners and losers

The move to 2021 will make a significant difference in the competitions, as well as for the hosts. Some who might have made the Games in 2020 won’t make the trip and youngsters who needed more time will have it, in 2021. At this point:

Winners:
● Athletes returning from injury or maternity, such as two 400 m stars: defending Olympic champ Wayde van Niekirk (RSA), who hasn’t been himself since 2017, and American star Allyson Felix, the most decorated female track & field Olympian in history.

Felix is especially worth watching. Her comeback from maternity was already one of the standout stories of the 2020 Games, but her chances of even making the U.S. team were unclear at best. But with a full year to train again, she could be dangerous and could be one of the darlings of a 2021 Games.

South Africa’s Caster Semenya has said she wants to try the 200 m, since that event will not require her to lower her testosterone levels to comport with World Athletics rules on hyperandrogenism. A full year of speedwork would help her at least contend for a spot in the Games and from there, who knows?

● Beijing, the host of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, is also a winner. International news media can be counted on for a steady drumbeat of stories about China as an inappropriate host due to its human-rights policies. That storyline will disappear for a full year with Tokyo 2021 coming on, and pick up only after the Closing Ceremony next summer.

Losers:
● Russia. Where the Russian strategy to fight the four-year sanction by the World Anti-Doping Agency was to delay its hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport long enough to allow its team to compete in Tokyo, that’s gone now. The decision will come in time for Tokyo and Russia’s outlook is not promising.

● Anti-doping agencies: There is rampant fear that during the pandemic, there are many athletes taking advantage of relaxed enforcement by national anti-doping organizations. This will require a significantly stepped-up testing and enforcement regimen in 2021.

● The IOC, which will have to work overtime to see the Tokyo Games to completion, then come back with Winter Games in Beijing about seven months later and then the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (SEN) in mid-2022.

The transfer of plans from 2020 to 2021 will be exceptionally challenging, starting with money to pay everyone involved for another year … without any new revenue to cover those costs. Here’s hoping there will be more roses than thorns in the extra year ahead.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE BIG PICTURE: 2020 Games postponement confirmed; the back story behind the decision; USOPC asked $200 million for NGBs; more Russian doping

By
Rich Perelman
-

There’s no let-up in the stories – and intrigue – with the Games of the XXXII Olympiad and the decision to postpone to 2021:

● The International Olympic Committee held teleconferences with the 33 International Federations involved in the Tokyo Games, as well as with most of the IOC members on Thursday, confirming the movement of the Games to 2021.

The IOC also released a five-page letter sent by President Thomas Bach (GER) to the membership on Wednesday, which described the sequence of events that led to the agreement with the Tokyo organizers and Japanese government for the Games to be held in 2021.

During the previous call to the IFs about the Games, Bach had proposed – and all agreed – that those athletes already qualified for the 2020 Games would have that status continued for 2021. That’s about 57% of the total of more than 11,000 athletes expected, but some of those spots are not guaranteed to individual athletes, but are quota allocations for countries, which can substitute other individuals to compete in the Games. The remaining 43% are not allocated as yet and will be the subject of either further qualifying events, or decisions by the International Federation on selection procedures from rankings or from prior competitions.

● The venerable e-mail newsletter SportIntern carried a story today (Friday) by David Miller (GBR) with more details on how the decision was reached to postpone the Tokyo Games. Miller, the former long-time Chief Sports Correspondent for the British newspaper The Times, has enjoyed close contacts with the IOC for decades, so when he writes, it’s worth reading.

Miller writes that IOC chief Bach was well aware of the need to move the Games from its 2020 dates – ostensibly by mid-March – but “was being stalled” by those in Japan who hoped the crisis would pass in April. After all, there was not even a national-emergency declaration in Japan as yet.

But a former IOC staff member who is now an “agent” for two IOC sponsors, suggested that the change had to be made and quickly, far faster than the four-week timeframe to be suggested in the IOC’s 22 March news release.

To speed things along, IOC member – and Bach confidant – John Coates (AUS) “negotiated” the declaration of the Australian Olympic Committee that it would not send a team, which also appeared on 22 March, following a no-go statement from Canada. Rather than embarrass the Japanese by a unilateral declaration that the Games must be postponed, senior IOC member Dick Pound of Canada told USA Today on 23 March (last Monday) “On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” to which the IOC’s official response was that this was his opinion only.

According to Miller, these developments then placed enough pressure on the Tokyo organizers and the Japanese government to have both agree to a postponement.

How true is all this? It rings at least partly right, as there are some holes in the timeline, and the aggressive spread of the virus in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere is not mentioned, and clearly was a factor. It paints Bach in a more favorable light, which Miller and his sources would clearly prefer. But it is spot-on that the Japanese organizers and government very much wanted to wait as long as possible to see if the Games could be held as scheduled. But they preferred a postponed Games to no Games at all and agreed with the IOC to go to 2021.

● The Washington Post reported that the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee made an ultimately unsuccessful request to the U.S. Congress for $200 million in stimulus funds for American athletes and U.S. National Governing Bodies suffering from the business interruption caused by the coronavirus.

The Wall Street Journal carried a story with a USOPC estimate that the NGBs could see combined losses of up to $800 million from the business effects of the coronavirus and the postponement of the Games. According to USOPC chief executive Sarah Hirshland:

“We did a survey of (national governing bodies) and asked the NGBs a couple of questions about what the financial implications of Covid-19 would be to them as a result of all the canceled events and things. And the NGBs in turn gave us what I would describe as a back-of-the-napkin assessment. We rolled up that assessment and sent something to Congress saying, ‘This is going to have significant impacts on the NGBs and we would love to be considered in some of the stimulus package or some of the funding support that you’re offering’.”

The stories indicated that of the $200 million requested, $50 million would be for direct payments to athletes who are suffering severe income losses due to event cancellations and the move of the Games to 2021, and $150 million to support the NGBs. The USOPC did not request any money for its own operations.

Veteran commentator Alan Abrahamson sees this request as piercing the USOPC’s self-support narrative, a possibly damaging event with major changes to USOPC and NGB governance still on the table for the Congress in the future. In any case, it didn’t make it into the final relief bill that was signed into law today.

● Aquatics ● According to NBC’s Olympic Talk site:

“Cornel Marculescu, FINA’s executive director, said there is no chance of the next worlds being bumped back to 2022.

“‘No, no, no, no, no, no,’ he defiantly told The Associated Press by phone.”

The 2021 World Aquatics Championships are scheduled to be held in Fukuoka, Japan, from 16 July-1 August.

Said Marculescu (ROU), “If they do it in summer, then we (will have to change) the dates. If they do it at the beginning of the year, maybe we don’t need to touch the dates. The only thing we do, we wait to see what is the IOC decision.”

What he didn’t say is that the Japanese government may have its own view about holding an event like the FINA Worlds in 2021, when it is also hosting an Olympic Games.

● Athletics ● World Athletics announced the postponement of all of its Wanda Diamond League meets through the end of May. This now includes the 24 May Bauhaus-Galan in Stockholm (SWE), the 26 May Golden Gala in Naples (ITA) and the 31 May meet in Rabat (MAR). The first meet now on the schedule is the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on 7 June, but that’s subject to the completion of the new Hayward Field, as well as the worldwide coronavirus situation.

The Athletics Integrity Unit lowered the boom on four more Russian doping cases, three of which are based on evidence collected in the McLaren Reports:

● Natalya Antyukh (now 38) ~ 2012 Olympic 400 m hurdles champ; bronze in 2004 (last competed in 2016)

● Oksana Kondratyeva (34) ~ Fifth in 2013 World Champs hammer (last competed in 2016)

● Andrey Silnov (35) ~ 2008 Olympic high jump champ; 2006 European champ (last competed in 2016)

● Yelena Soboleva (37) ~ 2006 World Indoor 1,500 m silver (last competed in 2016)

The listings in the AIU’s roster of “Pending First Instance Decisions” did not specify the period of ineligibility or the dates of nullified results; the Russian doping program investigated in the McLaren Reports was from 2011-15. All of these cases will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Ex-Kenyan Albert Rop (BRN), a 2016 Olympian in the 5,000 m, was suspended for two years for whereabouts failures” from 24 September 2019 and nullifying his results from 11 April 2019. His last competition was a 27:31.01 lifetime best in the 10,000 m on 31 August 2019.

More to come, no doubt.

HEARD AT HALFTIME: Tokyo Games in 2021 in July-August timeframe? U.S. ticket seller says 2020 purchases good for 2021

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The International Olympic Committee’s task force on the format of the 2021 Games in Tokyo is reported to be looking “to arrange a July-August window for the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and hopes to confirm the schedule within a month” according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.

The “Here We Go” working group, formed from the IOC’s Coordination Commission, has to figure a way to schedule the Games that works as well as is possible with the existing annual sports calendar, and with the 33 International Federations which hold their major events during the summer. The World Championships in Aquatics (16 July-1 August in Fukuoka, Japan) and Athletics (6-15 August in Eugene, Oregon) are clearly in conflict and would have to be moved.

There is talk of holding the Games earlier, in part to avoid the hot summer weather that had been the biggest concern prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The head of the IOC’s task force, John Coates (AUS) has said that he hopes the dates for the 2021 Games can be fixed by mid-April.

● Tokyo 2020: Vox Populi ● The two-time World Cross Country Champion and former American record holder in the 10,000 m, Craig Virgin doesn’t want to wait until 2021 for the Games. He writes to TSX:

“As a three-time U.S. Olympian in T&F/Athletics …. I was happy to learn that the IOC and Tokyo 2020 had finally come to their senses and decided to postpone the Tokyo Olympic Games that were slated to open in late July.

“Then, I was chagrined to learn that the IOC and Tokyo 2020 had not considered simply moving them back to October and giving us just 2-to-3 months more to try to get this coronavirus pandemic under control in the next 4-to-8 weeks and our life back to ‘normal.’ That way the Tokyo 2020 Games might still be held in 2020!

“Incidentally, the Tokyo Olympic Games of 1964 had their opening ceremonies on October 10 and their closing ceremonies on October 24. So, a precedent to set them later in the fall (with its much better weather in Tokyo) has already been set in the past at the same exact city location!

“The IOC could even set a review date of July 1 to see whether the coronavirus pandemic was under control enough and that athletes could satisfactorily train as well as travel as needed for both training and competition. Not to mention the media and spectators! Then, if not, they could push the games back into 2021. But, I would argue that if we are still dealing with the coronavirus as a serious threat in June then the Olympics will be far less important as the whole world struggles to either survive the health threat or the economic threat. Both could be deadly!

“I try to be optimistic and hope that the better weather and higher temperatures of late April and May in combination with the emergency scientific and medical efforts now underway around the globe… could help us bring this pandemic well under control before July 1.

“When I first heard that the IOC did not even list this conservative step as one possibility right away then I thought ‘why not?’ So, I got an idea and looked up the present value of the last year of the NBC contract with the IOC … and the increased value of the extension that was just signed in the past year or so… and I knew probably knew why!

“I believe that NBC might be more concerned about avoiding a broadcast schedule conflict with MLB playoffs, NCAA football, and NFL football… than doing what is the right thing for the Olympic Games and the Olympic athletes. Admittedly, this just a ‘guess’ on my part but as the famous line in the movie ‘Jerry McGuire’ says… ‘follow the money… fool!’ … and he is generally right about that!

“For all kinds of logistical and athletic reasons I implore the IOC to strongly consider the historically appropriate option of trying to hold the 2020 Games at Tokyo in October FIRST… then in 2021 ONLY if absolutely necessary. Thank you!”

Comment: Craig is not the only one who feels this way; USA Weightlifting chief Phil Andrews (GBR) also prefers a late-2020 date. But it’s not going to happen. There is no assurance that the coronavirus situation is going to improve enough worldwide to allow athletes to train for the Games and if we learned one thing from this experience (so far) is that those competitors who are contenders for medals want no impediments to their success from any factors they cannot control. Although already well recognized, the wringing of hands and tearing of hair over about a week’s time when the IOC and Japan came to the conclusion that the Games had to be postponed showed again the razor’s edge on which elite athletes exist.

There is also widespread concern about the reduced scope of anti-doping activities in this period due to the social-distancing requirements of fighting COVID-19. In order to ensure a robust pre-Games anti-doping effort is made for Tokyo, it must be moved well into 2021.

What about those who purchased tickets for the 2020 Games? In the U.S., ticket buyers received a message on Wednesday from Robert Long, head of CoSport, the authorized ticket retailer of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee:

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC), Tokyo Organizing Committee and Japanese Government have officially postponed the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games until 2021, with specific dates still to be determined but held no later than the summer of 2021, due to concern for the wellbeing of spectators, athletes and supporters in light of the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19.

“We know there are questions surrounding such an unprecedented move and want you to know that CoSport Tokyo 2020 purchases will be honored at the Games in 2021, and we continue to work in support of our customers in addressing issues.

“With next year’s dates not yet determined, we are in communication with the IOC, Tokyo Organizing Committee and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee to plan and follow new processes with regard to spectator purchases, which will take some weeks to develop.

“As we work to address those issues, we appreciate the patience of all who share in CoSport’s belief that the Olympic and Paralympic spectator experience is integral to the Tokyo Games, no matter the year or obstacles overcome, a mission we have delivered for the past 10 Olympic Games.

“When the new Tokyo dates are determined and those processes can be implemented, we will be back in touch regarding 2021, as well as share information at CoSport.com/update/.

“Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you in Tokyo next year.”

● Boxing ● The BBC reported today (Thursday) that six individuals who attended the truncated Olympic qualifying event in London (GBR) from 14-16 March have contracted COVID-19.

The Croatian Boxing Federation reported an athlete and two coaches, and the Turkish federation claims that two fighters and a coach tested positive on their return from the event, cut short due to the spread of the virus.

Turkish Boxing Federation president Eyup Gozgec sent a letter to the European Boxing Confederation that included: “This is the disastrous result of the irresponsibility of the IOC Boxing Task Force.”

He told the BBC, “The organisers were irresponsible, and I think they didn’t realise the severity of the issue so they just didn’t care. They just didn’t take this outbreak seriously and they didn’t care about it. They did no tests for us. They just told us to go. They dropped us at the airport and that was it.

“They knew they were going to have to cancel – why go with it? The health of our athletes and staff is our priority.”

The IOC’s statement to the BBC noted:

“The BTF wants to express its sympathy for the affected athletes and officials and wishes them a very speedy and full recovery.

“The BTF is not aware of any link between the competition and the infection.

“Many participants were in independently organised training camps… before the competition started… and have returned home a while ago so it is not possible to know the source of infection.”

The London organizers of the tournament stated that they provided “extra measures” for the health of the teams “which included the provision of hand sanitisers throughout the competition spaces and routine temperature tests which enabled the medical team to track and identify any underlying changes during competition.”

● At the BuZZer ● Even with all of our troubles in the present, some are planning for a new future. One of them is 2018 Olympic Champion Stina Nilsson (SWE), who won the Cross Country Sprint gold in PyeongChang.

But at 26, and after seven years as a star in Cross Country – with 23 World Cup wins – she is changing sports and taking up Biathlon. “My basic idea was to run Cross-Country skiing for another Olympics and then change after the season 2022. But because of my [stress fracture in 2019] I have been given a lot of time to think and test shoot and I feel that I really do not want to wait any longer.

“I am humbled by the biathlon challenges, where I believe that the routine of the rifle and learning all about the weapon, such as when and how to screw, will be the biggest challenge, but they are a challenge I look forward to. I just get to practice ‘a little’ extra on it.”

LANE ONE: IOC followed World Health Organization advice, not athlete criticism, to arrive at Tokyo 2020 postponement: the play-by-play

By
Rich Perelman
-
In sync: IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) and Athletes' Commission chair Kirsty Coventry (ZIM)

The World Health Organization and Africa. Those were the triggers that led the International Olympic Committee to decide, in concert with the Japanese government and the organizing committee, to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Games into 2021.

During a nearly-one hour teleconference on Wednesday morning (25th), IOC President Thomas Bach gave a lengthy, 11-minute recitation of the step-by-step process that led to Tuesday’s landmark agreement to postpone an Olympic Games for the first time.

The key moments of the past week, with Bach’s comments:

● Tuesday: 17 March 2020 ~ Reported COVID-19 cases worldwide = 180,159

The IOC issues a statement noting the situation is changing “day by day” and with more than four months to go, “there is no need for drastic actions at this stage.”

● Wednesday: 18 March 2020 ~ Reported COVID-10 cases worldwide = 194,909

The IOC holds teleconferences with the National Olympic Committees, International Federations and with 220 athlete representatives about the situation. Said IOC Athletes’ Commission chair Kirsty Coventry (ZIM), “I think the goal is definitely to get to the 24th July and the Tokyo Olympic Games but we also have to be realistic and not panic at this stage and know that this landscape is changing hourly and daily for everyone around the world and we share the concerns.”

● Friday: 20 March 2020 ~ Reported COVID-19 cases worldwide = 242,473

National Olympic Committee officials in Brazil, Great Britain and Norway ask for the Games to be postponed. USA Swimming and USA Track & Field ask the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee to ask the IOC for a postponement.

● Sunday: 22 March 2020 ~ Reported COVID-19 cases worldwide = 305,275

The IOC Executive Board announced changes in its planning for the Games, including “changes to the start date of the Games.” Bach posts an open letter to athletes, noting that “we are relying on the advice of a Task Force including the World Health Organization” and that a decision on possible postponement will be taken within the next four weeks.

National Olympic Committees in Canada and Australia posted statements that they would not participate in a 2020 Games held in July.

Said Bach in the teleconference:

“We had at the very beginning of this crisis, a clear focus on the development in Japan, where we had always to evaluate whether Japan would be in a position to offer a safe environment for every participant of the Olympic Games.

“This focus then shifted, more and more, to the international world, because we could see on the one hand, the progress being made in Japan fighting the virus, and the efficiency of the measures being taken. But we could, and had to see on the other side, that the virus was spreading so rapidly that it became, more and more, a question whether the world could travel to Japan and whether Japan there, could afford, in the spirit of containing the virus, to really invite the world.

“This situation we had to address. Japan was very confident to go ahead, and then we saw there, last Sunday, in the morning, we saw the figures from Africa – in particular – where we are, obviously at the beginning of an outbreak. Still a low number, but many countries being affected; this is how it started everywhere. We saw there the dynamic development in South America, and in U.S. and in other countries, and this was the moment when we saw this, on Sunday morning, I called an emergency meeting of the IOC Executive Board, with the aim to open a discussion with our Japanese hosts and partners and friends, to start opening a discussion about the postponement of the Games.

“Because we could not, you know, manage such a postponement without the organizing committee, without the full support of Japan. Before this Executive Board meeting, I called President Mori from the organizing committee, who had then taken contact also with Prime Minister Abe. There, the result of this conversation was, that the organizing committee in Japan, is ready to enter into a discussion about the different scenarios, in particular about postponement, after having heard and being confirmed by our commitment that a cancellation would not be one of the scenarios to be considered.

“We then had the Executive Board meeting, on Sunday afternoon, our European time, with the result you know, opening up there the door to study there, also, postponement. Hours after this Executive Board meeting, new, alarming informations were coming in. We saw there, more and more travel restrictions there coming up. During the Executive Board we heard that the virus starts to spread on a number of islands in Oceania.”

● Monday, 23 March 2020 ~ Reported COVID-19 cases worldwide = 338,303

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee released a survey of 1,780 athletes, with 68% stating the Games could not be held fairly if begun in July. Some 64% said the local coronavirus restrictions had either severely impacted their ability to train, or kept them from training altogether. Based on this, the USOPC asked the IOC to postpone the Games.

A poll of track & field athletes by The Athletics Association reported 4,036 responses, of which 78% preferred postponement of the Games.

In Lausanne, the wheels were already turning. Said Bach:

“The next morning, Monday morning, then we received a declaration from the World Health Organization which was pretty alarming, where the Director General said that the spreading is accelerating and that the Director General of the World Health Organization wants to have an emergency call with the G-20 leaders to address this situation.

“This, then, led us to contact the organizing committee again and to advise them that in the phone call being scheduled for the next day, for Tuesday – yesterday – between Prime Minister Abe and me, that we, in the light of this developments after the Executive Board meeting, we would like to propose to take a decision on the postponement of the Games, already in this phone call.”

Abe told reporters in Tokyo that it was not possible to hold the Games as planned, saying “It’s important that not only our country but also all the other participating countries can
take part in the Games fully prepared.”

● Tuesday, 24 March 2020 ~ Reported COVID-19 cases worldwide = 378,040

Said Bach:

“And then we had this phone call and as a result of this phone call, where then Prime Minister Abe himself, after his introductory remark, suggested there a postponement as the decision of the IOC. Then after consultation in this phone call, we came to the conclusion that this must be a decision, cannot be a unilateral decision of the IOC, but must be a joint decision because in order to organize there successful Games, we need to be in full agreement and need to be united.”

Later on Tuesday, a joint statement between the IOC and the Tokyo organizers explained “In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.”

● Wednesday, 25 March 2020 ~ Reported COVID-19 cases worldwide = 416,916

Bach was asked if he had any regrets on the way the crisis had been handled, especially in view of the criticism over how long it took to announce a postponement:

“No, because this was the commitment and is the commitment to our Japanese partners. I think I at least tried to explain that the focus was shifting. What we expressed was the confidence in our Japanese partners and friends to organize there, in July, in safe conditions, Olympic Games. And to this, we were committed, and to this, we are committed there also for the postponed Games.

“[What] then made the change was, there, the dynamic changes in the worldwide health situation and there, for a postponement – because again, a cancellation we could have decided in our own – but for a postponement, we need of course there the full commitment of our Japanese partners, also for the postponed Games. And this is what we were looking for there with our approach, and this is what we then yesterday [Tuesday] have achieved, in this way, making it possible that the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 are happening, have not to be cancelled, but can give the athletes, you know, the hope, and now also the athletes to be assured that their Olympic dream can come true, even with a delay.”

Bach was asked a half-dozen times whether, essentially, he and the IOC were wrong in the way they handled the situation, especially in how long it took to announce the postponement. He brushed each question aside easily, and had this snappy comeback for a question from Tarik Panja of The New York Times:

“[D]on’t forget that, in this time, during the last couple of weeks, the measures of many governments, you know, they were limited until mid-of-April, some beginning of May and, you know, we could not see measures having been taken lasting until July and you have maybe seen the latest declarations there in United States from President Trump about the prospect of mid-of-April there, being able to lift many restrictions.

“And so, there, we were in line with these developments and we were, again, there in line with the advice of the World Health Organization, and the moment they changed, then also their advice with this statement of the Director General on Monday and even before, you know, when we saw the day before, Africa, because there I must say, from the very beginning, this was a big worry for me personally also, but for all of us that if the virus, you know, would outbreak there in Africa, on this huge continent, with the challenges many countries in Africa have to face already now, that this would be then a very dramatic development, which will not only affect Africa but will again affect then the entire world.

“And this is why, you know, this was such a crucial moment and again, then, the advice by the World Health Organization of the declaration by the World Health Organization there, the day before yesterday.”

Bach was also asked if the “voices of the athletes” were taken into account:

“The athlete’s voice we have always taken into consideration and playing a very important role. We are in constant contact there, with our Athletes’ Commission; the chair of the Athletes’ Commission being a member of the IOC Executive Board, taking part in any consultation, in any decision, in any vote.

“I also had addressed a letter to the athletes, already a couple of weeks ago. There were calls between our Athletes’ Commission and many athlete’s representatives there, around the world, and then finally, in all this consultations last week, we had telephone conferences with all the National Olympic Committees, with all the International Federations and at the end of this conference, a one-by-one vote for each NOC and for each International Federation, whether they agree with the strategy there proposed by the IOC Executive Board. And we had there, in this one-by-one vote, unanimous support, including from the Canadian Olympic Committee.”

Asked about the impact of Canada’s statement last Sunday that it would not attend the Games if held in July, Bach replied:

“It is the right of every athlete to decide, if qualified, if he or she wants to participate in the Olympic Games. I do not think that such a decision can be taken by a majority vote by anybody. There we have to respect the rights of the athletes, and if an athlete decides not to go to the Games, this is his good right.”

In light of this answer, it would have been instructive if the Games would have been green-lighted for July and a Canadian athlete wanted to attend the Games … as a refugee from his or her own National Olympic Committee!

But the postponement is on and the myriad details are being worked out. The IOC declared a postponement in concert with the Tokyo organizers and the Japanese government 13 days after the World Health Organization declared a pandemic and two days after the WHO announced that the spread of the virus was accelerating. And, frankly, if a successful Games is held next year, almost no one will remember these details.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE TICKER: What now for the Tokyo Games? Says IOC chief Bach, “This is like a huge jigsaw puzzle”

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

In the aftermath of the joint decision by the International Olympic Committee, the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee and the Japanese government to delay the 2020 Olympic Games into next year, IOC President Thomas Bach held a Wednesday morning teleconference for 53 minutes, with about 400 media on the line and many more receiving a recording.

He gave an extraordinarily detailed, 11-minute account of the process by which the question of what to do about the 2020 Games turned from the question of whether Japan would be a safe place to host the Games in July, to whether anyone could get to Tokyo as the coronavirus exploded worldwide.

Bach was forthcoming and detailed a consultative process in which the information provided by the World Health Organization proved the most compelling and the most concrete.

He was pressed, for most of the 16 questions he was asked by journalists from 10 countries, to explain the timing of the postponement decision, his response to criticism that the IOC was too slow, and one question asking if he had considered resigning. He gave expansive answers to all but the last inquiry, to which his reply was “no.” (More coming on this later today.)

On the more relevant questions about the future planning, he noted:

“This indeed a very challenging question. We have there, already yesterday, following there the agreement with Prime Minister Abe, we have asked there our Coordination Commission together with the Organizing Committee to study this question in detail.

“They have now formed a task force, with what I find a very good name. With a good spirit, the task force calls itself ‘Here We Go.’ So they are now looking into it. This needs consultation, first of all, with the 33 International Federations. There, we will have a telephone conference, I think by tomorrow already, contacts have been made yesterday by telephone. So this is the first step, we have to see with them what the options are.

“And after having consulted with them, we, of course, also have to take into account the sports calendar around the Olympic Games and many, many other issues. So there I think we should come to a solution as soon as possible, but first priority there should be the quality of this decision to really be able to take the input of all the stakeholders into account: the National Olympic Committees, the athletes, the partners, of course the organizing committee is key also in this.”

Bach was further asked about the difficulties inherent in a first-ever delayed Games:

“Now, this is like a huge jigsaw puzzle, putting together. And there, every piece has to fit. If you take out one piece, the whole puzzle is destroyed. Therefore everything has to come together and everything is important.

“This is why I really do not envy the members of this task force in their work, but having seen the proof of the professionalism, the dedication of the organizing committee which made Tokyo the best prepared Olympic city ever and knowing about the professionalism of our Coordination Commission and our Olympic Games department, I’m really confident that we can also master this first-ever challenge. The Games have never been postponed before, we have no blueprint, but we are nevertheless confident that we can put a beautiful jigsaw puzzle together and will then, in the end, have wonderful Olympic Games.”

He also left open the possibility that the Games could be postponed to the spring of 2021:

“The agreement is that we want to organize this Olympic Games, at the latest in summer 2020 [sic], that means that this task force can consider there the broader picture. This is not restricted just to the summer months; all the options are on the table before or including the summer 2021.”

Bach was also asked about whether the IOC’s TOP sponsors whose agreements expire after the 2020 Games – reportedly including General Electric and Proctor & Gamble – will be able to participate in 2021. The answer was yes:

“We have contacted there, in the meantime, all of the sponsors and what we can see is that we have their full support for this decision, and we will now work to implement it. You know, these Games are called the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Therefore, for me, it’s a logical consequence that the sponsors of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 that they keep their rights, even if these games are organized in ‘21.”

Bach did not discuss costs, and they will be substantial. Wild estimates have already appeared, including 300 billion yen (~$2.7 billion U.S.) from unnamed sources, published in the Nikkei Asian Review.

ESPN published an added-cost estimate of 640.8 billion yen (~$5.7 billion) from Kansai University emeritus professor Katsuhiro Matsumoto.

The truth: no one knows. As is usual in Olympic Games with significant government investment, there is the official budget – still at $12.6 billion U.S. – and lots of estimates from others, which claim the “total cost” of the Games is as much as $30 billion, including programs which have nothing to do with the Games proper, but just happen to take place in the same time frame.

It’s not all confusion, gloom and doom. One athlete with a happy take on the postponement was three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic 100 m hurdles finalist Lolo Jones. Her twitter post:

“FINALLY The OLYMPICS OFFICIALLY postponed for a year!! No box of Wheaties for me today. #breakfastofchampions”

and showed her pouring a huge tote bag full of candy into her morning cereal bowl!

LANE ONE: Cue the dominoes, as the collateral damage of moving the Olympic Games to 2021 begins

By
Rich Perelman
-

The joint announcement by the International Olympic Committee and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad will be celebrated in 2021 rather than 2020 is only the beginning of a chaotic process that will take years to unwind.

Today’s agreement only starts a process that will reach around the world multiple times and will tax the patience and goodwill of thousands of people who have nothing to do with sports. For openers:

In 2020:

● Now that the Games have been postponed, what happens to the tickets that were purchased, the airfares that were booked, the hotels that were reserved, the equipment, the parties, the vacations and all the rest?

For the Tokyo organizing committee, the entire staff and office infrastructure, all planned to be vaporized by mid-2021, now must be maintained for another year. That’s millions of dollars in salaries, rent and support costs. Were leases already concluded for use of their office space, to begin in 2021? Where is that money going to come from?

For the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, its newly-constructed venues must be maintained for a full year – at their cost – and any event rentals for the coming year will have to be re-evaluated and possibly canceled or postponed. Will the International Federations which already had test events demand another set of events? Who pays for that?

Moreover, all of the planning for local projects to take place after the Games have to be reviewed and likely rescheduled or moved up, again at substantial cost.

The Japanese federal government has the same issues, plus the cost of having ramped up for Olympic passport controls and security, which must stand down for a year. This is a costly and convoluted mess.

● For the National Olympic Committees, their plans for outfitting, transporting and supporting their teams in Tokyo are now worthless. What happens to the dozens of contracts for training camps, special food and kitchens, local assistants and interpreters and so much more? What about the short-term warehouse spaces for team processing and – in some cases – millions of dollars in airfares? All of this has to be unwound and can’t be rearranged until the new dates of the Olympic and Paralympic Games are announced, hopefully by mid-April.

● For the International Federations, their 2020 schedules now have a giant hole. Will it be filled, or is everyone off for a month.

For the national federations in each country, the postponement of the Tokyo Games presents multiple, immediate problems, starting with those sports with Olympic trials events. In the U.S., what happens to these (formerly) high-profile programs:

=> 04-05 April: U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials, in State College
=> 14-21 June: U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, in Indianapolis
=> 19-28 June: U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, in Eugene
=> 21-28 June: U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, in Omaha
=> 25-28 June: U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials, in St. Louis

Each of these has the same problems as Tokyo, with tickets already sold, airfares purchased, hotels reserved and so on. In the case of USA Gymnastics, it already has its regular national champs scheduled for 4-7 June in Ft. Worth, Texas, so it could go on as normal … but what about its reservations for St. Louis?

For track, swimming and diving, their trials events were designed to be the 2020 national championships in their sports. What happens now? There’s no way these events could be held as scheduled; there’s no need … and there will be no interest. Will the CHI Health Center in Omaha have dates available for the Olympic Trials (and a test event?) in 2021? Will a convention have to be bought out and moved? Who pays for that? Along with the tickets, travel and more?

All of the same questions have to be resolved for the Paralympics and its related events as well.

That’s just this year and only some of the questions to be solved. Those who follow business closely will be asking about the cost of all these questions to insurers and whether one or more major insurers could be (a) bankrupted by these events, or (b) whether event cancellation insurance will be available in the future, and at what cost?

In 2021:

Now things really get messy, as major summer events such as these will be directly impacted:

● July (15-25): World Games in Birmingham, Alabama (USA)

● July (16-01): FINA World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka (JPN)

● August (6-15): World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (USA)

Add to this two major soccer tournaments, the Copa America and European Championships, both moved from 2020, and the summer is now really crowded.

With the Olympic Games moving to sometime in 2021, the possibility is open for an earlier date, which might help meet the pre-COVID-19 concern about the heat during the Tokyo summer. However, it’s worth noting that the European soccer league schedules run into the middle or end of May (as does the UEFA Champions League). That means that European broadcasters are not going to be interested in having an Olympic Games start any earlier than the middle of June and that might be pushing it.

However, June in Tokyo is usually significantly cooler than July – on average, 72 F vs. 81 F – but June is usually rainy, with an average of nine rain days in the month and often as many as 20. Who wants that during an Olympics? Not an easy problem to solve.

For the events which are now scheduled for June, including the World Games, World Aquatics Championships and World Athletics Championships, these will need to be moved. The FINA Worlds cannot take place in Fukuoka in the same time frame as the Olympics; no chance. In fact, almost every federation will have to re-arrange its world championships schedule for 2021 to accommodate the Tokyo Games.

For the World Games in Birmingham and the track & field worlds in Eugene, their visibility – and financial prospects – will drop to near-zero and be completely overshadowed by the Olympic Games. Both will need to move to 2022, with the added cost of another year of staffing and the snarl over tickets, hotels and travel arrangements all needing to be worked out.

(The one winner in all of this is the construction effort for the new Hayward Field in Eugene, which has been struggling toward completion in time for the 2020 Olympic Trials there. The question of the 2020 Prefontaine Classic, scheduled for 6-7 June, has to be considered, but there is otherwise no rush needed now for the new facility, which won’t be in serious use until the spring of 2021).

There are domino effects into 2022 as well, especially for the Commonwealth Games, scheduled for 27 July-7 August in Birmingham (ENG). How does that conflict with the movements of the worlds in aquatics and athletics?

These are only some of the questions that will need to be resolved, along with thousands more, and few can even start to be answered until the 2021 dates for the Tokyo Games are set. But the first domino has fallen; let’s see where the rest end up.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE BIG PICTURE: Japan and IOC agree to move Games to sometime in 2021; details still to be worked out

By
Rich Perelman
-
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

“In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.”

One day after the Japanese government determined that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 could not be held as planned, the date for the event was moved from 2020 into 2021, as announced in a joint statement between International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach (GER) and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Simple, but not easy.

Abe told reporters that “I confirmed with President Bach that there will be no cancellation. We agreed to hold the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2021 at the latest.

“I agreed with President Bach to closely coordinate toward holding the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in a complete way to demonstrate that humankind has overcome the new coronavirus.”

This is the first time than an Olympic Games has changed dates; the Games scheduled for 1916, 1940 and 1944 were canceled due to war.

Significantly, the joint statement referenced the World Health Organization’s status report on the spread of the coronavirus:

“The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the COVID-19 pandemic is ‘accelerating.’ There are more than 375,000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country, and their number is growing by the hour.”

In addition., the planned 121-day Olympic Torch Relay, set to start on Thursday, was canceled by the Tokyo organizers on Tuesday. “We will not start the torch relay, while we will discuss countermeasures,” said organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori. “In response to the postponement of the Olympics, we will draw a new plan for the relay.”

A message from U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee chief executive Sarah Hirshland included:

“Despite the feeling of eventuality that so many of us have felt in the lead up to this moment – my heart breaks for you, your fellow athletes around the world, our friends at Tokyo 2020, the people of Japan, and all who are impacted by this global pandemic and the decision to postpone the Tokyo Games 2020. …

“This summer was supposed to be a culmination of your hard work and life’s dream, but taking a step back from competition to care for our communities and each other is the right thing to do. Your moment will wait until we can gather again safely.

“I wish I had answers to every question out there, but the reality is this decision is unprecedented, and therefore, presents an entirely new process – for you, for the organizers, for the NGBs and for the USOPC. Please know we are committed to working with you in the coming days, weeks, and months to address them together.”

So now everyone – except the IOC and all those involved in the Games in Japan – can relax  for a few minutes and worry about things other than an Olympic Games this summer. But, without doubt, the collateral impact of this decision will be enormous and alter the sports landscape worldwide for two or more years.

But the decision has been made. As Winston Churchill famously said in another context 78 years ago: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

HEARD AT HALFTIME: Canada, Australia say they won’t go to Tokyo in 2020; Athletics Assn. survey shows 78% in favor of 2021 Games

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● Sunday was one of the wildest days in Olympic history – off the field – as:

● The International Olympic Committee announced that it was considering new scenarios, including postponement of the Tokyo Games, with a decision to come in four weeks;

● The Canadian Olympic Committee released a statement that “Team Canada to be absent from Olympic Games if held in summer 2020.” The news release noted “The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year and we offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring.”

● The Australian Olympic Committee told its athletes that its Executive Board “unanimously agreed that an Australian Team could not be assembled in the changing circumstances at home and abroad.”

● World Athletics President Sebastian Coe (GBR) sent a letter to IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) stating that “an Olympic Games in July this year is neither feasible or desirable” and goes to list his reservations, including competition fairness, possible injuries from excessive training and emotional well being. It’s the first International Federation to call for a postponement.

On Monday, new developments continued the momentum toward postponement:

● The Athletics Association, a start-up group designed to represent professional track and field athletes, released the results of a survey taken over the weekend that showed 78% in favor of postponing the Games for a year.

The survey also showed the same 78% were against cancellation of the Games and 87% who said their training had been compromised in some way by the COVID-19 outbreak. A total of 4,036 responses to the survey were recorded, although it is not clear that individuals could not vote more than once.

The accompanying statement, signed by U.S. athletes Christian Taylor and Emma Coburn – both Olympic medal winners and world champions – added that “we’re imploring the IOC to announce the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics much sooner than four weeks’ time.”

Their closing comment: “The Olympics is the pinnacle for all competitors in the sport of Athletics, but asking athletes to risk their physical and mental health preparing for an Olympic Games in the middle of a pandemic that is crippling the world, in unfair, immoral and shows a huge lack of empathy.”

● British Olympic Association chief Hugh Robertson told the Sky Sports News that “We can’t see any way that this can go ahead as things are constituted. I expect we will be joining Canada and Australia shortly.”

● Most important in all of this were comments by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Parliament on Monday:

“If I’m asked whether we can hold the Olympics at this point in time, I would have to say that the world is not in such a condition. … It’s important that not only our country but also all the other participating countries can take part in the games fully prepared.”

This is the key to the situation, and from here, the IOC and the Japanese hosts can figure out the next steps: postponement, a new set of dates and a long list of logistical issues to be solved, none of which will make everyone (anyone?) happy.

● Basketball ● Nearly lost in the COVID-19 panic was the passing of one of the giants of international basketball, former FIBA Secretary-General and IOC member Boris Stankovic, at age 94 on 20 March.

Stankovic was a basketball player himself in Yugoslavia and played in the first FIBA World Cup in 1950. He became the federation’s Secretary-General in 1976 and in the run-up to the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles began a long relationship with the National Basketball Association Commission David Stern that eventually led to the approval of NBA players in the Olympic Games. The 1992 “Dream Team” was a direct result of Stankovic’s leadership, as were many lesser-known contacts during the Cold War between western nations and the Warsaw Pact countries.

Stankovic was a consummate gentleman, a good listener, but always knew what he wanted and was dedicated to high standards of play, sportsmanship and cooperation in promoting the game. He ended his term as FIBA Secretary-General in 2002, having taken the federation to heights it could not have imagined.

● Swimming ● South African breaststroke star Cameron van den Burgh, 31, shared his experience on Twitter after having contracted COVID-19:

“1/ Some personal thoughts/observations for athletes health,The summer games & my own experience with contracting Covid19.

“2/ I have been struggling with Covid-19 for 14 days today. By far the worst virus I have ever endured despite being a healthy individual with strong lungs(no smoking/sport), living a healthy lifestyle and being young (least at risk demographic)

“3/ Although the most severe symptoms(extreme fever) have eased, I am still struggling with serious fatigue and a residual cough that I can’t shake. Any physical activity like walking leaves me exhausted for hours.

“4/ The loss in body conditioning has been immense and can only feel for the athletes that contract Covid-19 as they will suffer a great loss of current conditioning through the last training cycle. Infection closer to competition being the worst.

“5/ Athletes will continue to train as there is no clarification re summer Games and thus are exposing themselves to unnecessary risk – and those that do contract will try rush back to training most likely enhancing/extending the damage/recovery time.

“6/ Please, look after yourself everyone! Health comes first – COVID-19 is no joke!”

Van den Burgh retired in December 2018, and finished with an Olympic gold (100 m Breast 2012) and silver (100 m Breast 2016), plus 18 World Championships medals in both Short- and Long-Course events.

● At the BuZZer ● Not everyone is excited to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic. Olympic sprint champ Simone Manuel posted on her Twitter account:

“Please please please stop asking what I, and other athletes think about the Olympics/How do I/we feel if the Olympics is postponed. I have NO control over the situation, and as important as the Olympic dream is to me as an athlete, as a human, I am more concerned about the safety and health of my fellow Americans, and the entire world.”

Pretty good advice there.

THE BIG PICTURE: IOC acknowledges planning for postponement, with decision coming within four weeks

By
Rich Perelman
-

“So, like you, we are in a dilemma: Cancellation of the Olympic Games would destroy the Olympic dream of 11,000 athletes from all 206 National Olympic Committees, from the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, most likely for the Paralympic athletes, and for all the people who are supporting you as coaches, doctors, officials, training partners, friends and family. Cancellation would not solve any problem and would help nobody. Therefore it is not on our agenda.

“A decision about a postponement today could not determine a new date for the Olympic Games because of the uncertain developments in both directions: an improvement, as we are seeing in a number of countries thanks to the severe measures being taken, or a deteriorating situation in other countries.”

These comments, from International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach (GER), in a posted letter to athletes on the IOC’s Athlete365 site, and in conjunction with a news release, announced a change in the IOC’s stance on the Tokyo 2020 Games:

● Various scenarios for a postponement of the Games are being drawn up, with a goal of completing the reviews within four weeks (about 19 April);

● The spread of the coronavirus worldwide has caused significant confusion. As Bach wrote in his athlete’s letter, “What we all share, however, is tremendous uncertainty. This uncertainty rocks our nerves and raises or strengthens doubts about a positive future; it destroys hope. Some even have to fear for their very existence. This uncertainty stems from the fact that, at this moment, nobody can really make fully reliable statements about the duration of this fight against the virus.”

● The plans must integrate the abilities of the IOC, the National Olympic Committees, the International Federations, the Tokyo organizers, Japanese governments, television broadcasters, sponsors and health officials to put on the Games.

● Bach noted that even if the spread of the virus in Japan is curtailed, “A number of critical venues needed for the Games could potentially not be available anymore. The situations with millions of nights already booked in hotels is extremely difficult to handle, and the international sports calendar for at least 33 Olympic sports would have to be adapted. These are just a few of many, many more challenges.”

So now the work is underway to – almost certainly – move the Games. Reuters reported that the Tokyo organizers have begun planning for different possibilities, including the costs involved and options to scale the event back, including possibly holding the Games without spectators. Delays as short as 45 days, or one or two years, are being reviewed.

It’s worth noting that if the Games are postponed in mid-April, this will come more than three months ahead of the planned 24 July date for the Opening Ceremony, and offer a significant window for the revamping of the sports calendar for 2021 and 2022.

The International Paralympic Committee chief, Andrew Parsons (GBR), released a statement noting “The IPC and I am certain, the whole Paralympic Movement, fully support the IOC’s decision to look into the potential scenarios regarding the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including postponement.”

NOLIGHTS: International sport is dark this week and for weeks to come; an IF-by-IF survey

By
Rich Perelman
-
An almost-empty arena in Barcelona, Spain (Photo: Staffan Cedarborg via Flicker)

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

As the COVID-19 pandemic has taken hold worldwide, competition has ceased. Here is a listing of the current status of each sport with events on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic program:

● AQUATICS ● FINA has postponed or canceled events essentially through the end of April. A COVID-19 Task Force will review new dates not earlier than 20 April.

● ARCHERY ● International competition suspended until 30 April.

● ATHLETICS ● Wanda Diamond League events suspended through 16 May.

● BADMINTON ● BWF World Tour events suspended through 26 April.

● BASEBALL/SOFTBALL ● The WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier for March has been postponed; no other events are scheduled until June.

● BASKETBALL ● All FIBA competitions suspended indefinitely as of 13 March.

● BOXING ● Olympic qualifying tournaments suspended.

● CANOEING ● All ICF and international competitions suspended through 31 May.

● CYCLING ● UCI had suspended competitions in all disciplines until at least 3 April.

● EQUESTRIAN ● FEI requests cancellation of all events through 10 April.

● FENCING ● FIE suspends all competitions through 12 April.

● FOOTBALL ● FIFA does not have any of its own tournaments coming in the near future; individual countries and confederations are making their own decisions. CONCACAF has suspended its tournaments through 10 May.

● GOLF ● The PGA Tour has suspended or canceled events through 21 May. The LPGA Tour has postponed or canceled tournaments until 14 May.

● GYMNASTICS ● The FIG calendar shows events canceled or postponed through 1 May, with a full schedule not currently shown until June.

● HANDBALL ● The IHF has suspended its Olympic qualifying tournaments until sometime in June.

● HOCKEY ● The FIH Pro League for men and women has matches postponed through 20 May.

● JUDO ● The IJF World Tour events are canceled through 7 May.

● KARATE ● The WKF has canceled all tournaments through 7 May; the Olympic qualifying tournament for 8-10 May in Paris (FRA) is still scheduled.

● MODERN PENTATHLON ● The UIPM World Cup schedule has been postponed until 1 May.

● ROWING ● World Rowing has canceled or postponed events through 31 May.

● RUGBY ● The remaining Sevens Series events for men and women, scheduled to be held in May, have been postponed.

● SAILING ● The forthcoming World Sailing World Cup in Genoa (ITA) from 11-19 April was postponed, as was the 470 class World Championships from 13-21 March in Palma de Mallorca (ESP).

● SHOOTING ● The Olympic test event in Tokyo in April was canceled. The ISSF World Cup schedule has been postponed until at least 5 May in New Delhi (IND).

● SKATEBOARDING ● With regard to Skateboarding – slated to make its Olympic debut in Tokyo – World Skate has canceled or postponed events through 21 April, with one event still shown as scheduled for 22-26 April. The SLS World Championships for 19-24 May is still on (for now).

● SPORT CLIMBING ● The IFSC has canceled or postponed its tournaments through 22 May.

● SURFING ● The International Surfing Association shows the World Surfing Games in El Salvador from 9-17 May as still scheduled, but nothing between now and then.

● TABLE TENNIS ● The ITTF has postponed events until at least 5 May.

● TAEKWONDO ● All events have been postponed or canceled through the end of April.

● TENNIS ● The ATP and WTA tournament calendars have been stopped through 8 June.

● TRIATHLON ● The ITU has suspended all competitions through the end of April.

● VOLLEYBALL ● The FIVB pushed the Volleyball Nations League into the fall, and has canceled or postponed its Beach Volleyball World Tour through the end of May.

● WEIGHTLIFTING ● All IWF events have been postponed through the end of May.

● WRESTLING ● Competitions are canceled or postponed through the end of April.

In addition to these summer-sport federations, the International Ice Hockey Federation has canceled its men’s World Championships, slated for 8-24 May in Switzerland and its other 2020 championship events. World Curling has canceled all of its 2020 championships, including the men’s and women’s World Championships.

Olympic sport is, for now, dark.

LANE ONE: Vise is tightening on Tokyo 2020 as USA Swimming, USA Track & Field, Norway all ask for postponement

By
Rich Perelman
-

Until Friday, the calls for postponement or cancellation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games had mostly come from individual athletes. Some were expansive, some were curt, like 110 m hurdles favorite Grant Holloway of the U.S.:

But on Friday, the situation changed and quite dramatically, especially in the U.S.

During an 8:30 a.m. teleconference from Colorado Springs, Colorado, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Chair, Susanne Lyons, told reporters that “there is no circumstance when the USOPC would send our athletes into harm’s way if we did not believe it was safe.”

Asked about the comments received from athletes, chief executive Sarah Hirshland said:

“We are getting incredible feedback from athletes that is, as you might imagine, you know, as diverse as our athletes are, so too are their perspectives on this issue, which adds to the complication factor.

“There are, as you might imagine, there are athletes out there for whom this feels like their opportunity, their only opportunity, their one chance. And there, as Susanne alluded to, the environment – even in different parts of our country – is quite different. The reaction from people and what they’re feeling is quite different, and we’re seeing that in the feedback we’re getting from the athlete community for certain.”

But just hours later, a letter from USA Swimming chief executive Tim Hinchey was posted, asking the USOPC to request a postponement of the 2020 Games. Wrote Hinchey in part:

“Our world class swimmers are always willing to race anyone, anytime and anywhere; however, pressing forward amidst the global health crisis this summer is not the answer.

“The right and responsible thing to do is to prioritize everyone’s health and safety and appropriately recognize the toll this global pandemic is taking on athletic preparations. It has transcended borders and wreaked havoc on entire populations, including those of our respected competitors.

“Everyone has experienced unimaginable disruptions, mere months before the Olympic Games, which calls into question the authenticity of a level playing field for all.

“Our athletes are under tremendous pressure, stress and anxiety, and their mental health and wellness should be among the highest priorities.

“It is with the burden of these serious concerns that we respectfully request that the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee advocate for the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 by one year.”

USA Swimming was first, but was not alone for long. Early Saturday (21st), a similar letter was released on Twitter by USA Track & Field, signed by chief executive Max Siegel. His letter mirrored Hinchey’s, asked for a postponement and noted:

“[T]he alternative of moving forward in light of the current global situation would not be in the best interest of our athletes (as difficult as that decision may be).

“We acknowledge that there are no perfect answers, and that this is a very complex and difficult decision, but position at least provides our athletes with the comfort of knowing that they will have adequate time to properly prepare themselves physically, mentally and emotionally to be able to participate in a safe and successful Olympic Games, and that they can shift their focus toward taking care of themselves and their families.”

These are just any two U.S. federations; they are the engine of American medal production. Between them, swimming and track accounted for 65 of 121 U.S. medals in Rio in 2016 (54%) and 63% of all golds (29./46).

In addition, The Athletics Association – the nascent organization of all professional track athletes – has posted a 13-question online survey to collect input and said it has received “almost 1500 replies from professional athletes in just over 12 hours.” (No survey results have been posted as yet.)

This adds to the pressure now mounting from other organizations, including:

● The head of UK Athletics, the national track & field federation in Great Britain, told The Telegraph that the Tokyo Games must be put off. Nic Coward said “From my perspective, right now, I think that will have to lead to the conclusion that the Games must be [postponed]; that the decision has to be made that the Olympic and Paralympic Games can’t take place as currently scheduled” and “[I]t seems to be absolutely what has to happen. And look, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that these very personal experiences take time to come through to the IOC level. I can understand that.”

● The National Olympic Committee for Norway sent a letter on Friday to the IOC, asking:

“In the light of the challenging situation we all face, we would appreciate if the IOC could give us insight on the central milestones in the process leading up to the final decision on Tokyo 2020. Our clear recommendation is that the Olympic Games in Tokyo shall not take place before the COVID-19 situation is under firm control on a global scale.”

National Olympic Committees in Brazil and Slovenia also echoed the call for postponement.

These are not simply individual athletes speaking out; the NOCs are one of the IOC’s primary stakeholders and the organizations primarily responsible for sending national teams to the Games.

The difficulty in training has become a primary concern for NOCs as athlete after athlete scrambles to find a gym or pool or track to continue preparing for competition … whenever it comes. And then there is the spectre of doping.

Tweeted USA Weightlifting chief executive Phil Andrews (GBR):

“One big fear for me – dopers taking advantage. I understand the dilemma facing anti doping agencies, and the almost impossible social distancing. However, it cannot be open season for the cheats.”

Most national anti-doping organizations have cut back their testing to conform with social-distancing recommendations from health authorities, and the conspiracy mongers are already out in force.

What does the IOC do now? Clearly, the vice is tightening on it and the Japanese government to share some kind of plan on a postponement, cancellation, or at least when a decision will be made.

The request for a more definitive timeline was echoed from 1996 triple Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, now a BBC commentator, who tweeted:

“IOC should communicate the window for deciding on the ‘20 Olympics. Athletes must keep training but for many there’s nowhere to train! They may risk their lives and others trying to continue training. Answer isn’t just cancel ASAP. But communicate the process to the athletes!”

However, it is also true that any decision to postpone will create a whole new series of questions:

● When will the Games take place?

● What qualifying structure will be used?

● Will athletes or teams already qualified remain qualified?

● What doping controls will be instituted to catch cheaters who used the hiatus for doping?

● What happens to other events scheduled in the time frame not to be used for the Games?

The IOC, of course, will be expected to have all of these answers at the same time it makes the announcement of a postponement (but will not have to face those questions if the Games are canceled!).

It’s a mess, but as IOC chief Thomas Bach told The New York Times that different scenarios are being reviewed and that “We are not living in a bubble or on another planet. We are in the middle of our societies.” Bach said once again, that cancellation was “not on the agenda.”

But the vise is tightening, daily.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE TICKER: “No circumstance where the USOPC would send our athletes into harm’s way if we did not believe it was safe”

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

“I think the decision about the Games themselves does not lie directly with us. It lies with a combination of the World Health Organization, the Japanese government and the IOC. But I can assure you that there is no circumstance where the USOPC would send our athletes into harm’s way if we did not believe it was safe.”

That’s the view from Susanne Lyons, the Chair of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, on the situation with the Tokyo 2020 Games. During a teleconference on Friday morning, she explained further the current stance of the USOPC Board, which just completed meetings in Colorado Springs:

“We have expressed all the concerns and challenges that they [the International Olympic Committee] are obviously very well aware of, that we and the rest of the world are facing. I think we would concur with them to say we need more expert advice and information than we have today, to make a decision and we don’t have to make a decision.

“Our Games are not next week or two weeks from now, they are four months from now and I think a lot may change in that time period, so we are affording the IOC the opportunity to gather that information and expert advice and at this point in time, we do not feel it is necessary for us to insist that they make a decision.”

Lyons and Chief Executive Officer Sarah Hirshland reviewed the situation – and confusion – regarding the Games due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19. Said Hirshland:

“We’ll rely on the advice of public health professionals to determine when an environment and what a safe environment looks like.

“But at this point, we feel like we can continue to put ourselves in a position to be prepared should there be a Games in Tokyo. We are continuing to take the actions that we would need to take in order to be ready, and we have not had to make any significant decisions to alter that path at this point. Clearly, that will evolve, over the course of time, but our priority, and frankly, we view it as our obligation to the athletes we serve, is to be ready if there is an opportunity for them, we’re not going to be the reason they don’t have that opportunity. We will be there and we will be ready.”

Asked about the view of athletes – current and former – on the USOPC Board and those who have communicated with the USOPC and the National Governing Bodies, both make it clear that there are a “diversity” of opinions. Some want cancellation or postponement, but Hirshland also noted:

“There are athletes for whom they view this as their only chance and their last chance, and so the ambiguity is what makes it so difficult and certainly we’ll all living with a pretty high degree of uncertainty and a lack of clarity right now and we absolutely hope that we can have clarity as soon as that’s practical.”

The USOPC has ramped up the availability of mental-health support for athletes and has arranged for meal service for those athletes who are resident at its Olympic Training Centers in Lake Placid, New York and Colorado Springs, Colorado, even though those facilities are otherwise closed.

But on today’s issue of training availability and a fair selection process for Tokyo – if it happens – Hirshland indicated that issue is well recognized:

“We’re also asking athletes, if it is available to them, in a safe environment, and in an appropriate environment, based on local health official guidance , to continue to do what they can, to prepare themselves for competition. We know that the training schedules of many of our athletes have been significantly disrupted, and as we are having to be creative and nimble and adapting our lives, we’re asking athletes to do the same, but to put their safety first and foremost.

“You also heard Susanne talk a bit about the right to compete and team selection. Many of you have seen stories or heard stories of concern about the qualification process. The disruptions to qualifications for the Games has been significant and likely will continue to be significant. Our teams are working very hard with our partner National Governing Body and the athlete representatives from those sports to determine how to adapt team selection criteria, so that we are prepared for a variety of potential outcomes. It’s very important to us, and one of the fundamental principles of our organization is athlete’s right to compete, and a fair process by which they have the ability to do that, and we’re incredibly focused on ensuring that we protect those rights, and that we protect that process as much as possible.”

But nothing is for certain. Hirshland said that the USOPC is working with the idea that the Games will happen, but with no assurance:

“It is our hope that our athletes have the ability to achieve their dreams in some capacity. Certainly, we are focused on Tokyo 2020 and will continue to be as long as that possibility stays ahead of us. We’ll do everything we can not to give up on our athletes and to make sure we’re here doing everything we can to support them and their preparations for their opportunity to compete at the Olympic or Paralympic Games.”

As Lyons noted, however, it’s not up to them.

LANE ONE: No change in the IOC position on Tokyo 2020 on Wednesday, or was there? The dial is turning …

By
Rich Perelman
-

“I think the goal is definitely to get to the 24th July and the Tokyo Olympic Games but we also have to be realistic and not panic at this stage and know that this landscape is changing hourly and daily for everyone around the world and we share the concerns.”

That was South Africa’s Kirsty Coventry, the head of the IOC’s Athletes Commission – and a seven-time Olympic medalist in swimming – commenting after a two-hour conference call with 220 athlete representatives, who asked 40 questions to her, IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) and the top IOC staff members.

There was no change in the IOC’s position that there is considerable time left prior to the 14 July opening of the Olympic Village in Tokyo and the Opening Ceremony on 24 July. But that is quickly becoming secondary, as the voice of the elite athlete – the folks who are in contention for medals – is being heard louder and louder.

Brazilian sprinter Bruno Fratus, a four-time World Championships medalist, replied to Coventry on Twitter:

“1/Kirsty, as a fellow swimmer and olympian I’d urge you to reconsider and consult with some other athletes around the world.

“Not sure if you’re aware of the the many athletes like myself incapable of even training.

“2/Also, the advice of “keep doing what you’re doing” seems disconnected with reality when we have world leaders daily on television asking people to stay home and isolate ourselves.

“3/Postponing the Olympic Games would not only give the world peace of mind but also allow that everyone could prepare properly, ensure fairness and maintain the technical level of the competition. Much love from Brazil #tokyo2021″

The difficulties in training and the possibly unequal opportunities to be ready for Tokyo among the medal-class athletes is now an increasingly louder voice. On Wednesday, USA Today reported that the U.S. Olympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs and Lake Placid are both being closed for the next 30 days and possibly longer.

Wrote Sam Mikulak, the top American hope for medals in men’s gymnastics, “Out of training for a month. I know I’m not alone on this, how is everyone else dealing with their Olympic preparation in these times?”

A USA Today column by Christine Brennan quoted reigning Olympic breaststroke champ Lilly King, who trained at Indiana University in Bloomington:

“The athletes’ lives have truly been turned upside down by this. Most of us are struggling to find places to let us in to work out. Many don’t know where they are training tomorrow. We have to prepare as if the Olympics are going on as planned, even if our training plans have completely changed within the last week.”

and

“A lot of the swimmers are based out of the university. We don’t really have a place to train right now. So it’s just been kind of bouncing back and forth to training at a YMCA, seeing if we can get in a country club somewhere.”

The matter was put more bluntly by Comite Olimpico Espana President Alejandro Blanco, in a statement carried by Reuters:

“The decision is for the International Olympic Committee [to make] after getting reports from the World Health Organisation and the organising committee.

“The news that we get every day is uncomfortable for all countries in the world, but for us the most important thing is that our sportspeople cannot train and to celebrate the Games would result in unequal conditions.

“We want the Olympics to take place, but with security. We’re an important country in the world and four months before the Games, our athletes can’t arrive in equal conditions.”

This is a completely different question than whether the coronavirus will subside in Japan sufficiently to allow the Games to take place as scheduled. On Thursday (19th), the state of emergency on the northern island of Hokkaido – which includes Sapporo, where the marathons and race walks are scheduled – was lifted as planned, after three weeks.

How this plays forward is impossible to tell, given the difficult conditions for athletes in Europe and the U.S. to finding training time, facilities, sports medicine support and all the rest.

IOC President Bach said after the conference call, “We will address this action and we will keep acting in a responsible way that is in the interest of the athletes whilst always respecting our two principles. The first priority being safeguarding the health of the athletes and contributing to the containment of the virus and secondly to protect the interest of the athletes and Olympic sport and this was the spirit of this very productive call.”

What is becoming clearer is that there are differing interests among athletes: those who want to compete in an event which will be the highlight of their lives, and those for whom Tokyo is a business trip, a very serious business trip, with significant risks and rewards.

And they want to be at the top of their game … but will that be possible?

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE BIG PICTURE: IOC continues to plan for Tokyo Games as scheduled, but key decision drivers are changing

By
Rich Perelman
-

“[W]ith more than four months to go before the Games there is no need for any drastic decisions at this stage; and any speculation at this moment would be counter-productive.”

That’s the key point made in a lengthy statement released Tuesday by the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board and supported by the International Federations. The IOC has additional conference calls planned to discuss the situation with the National Olympic Committees, broadcasters and sponsors.

The statement further noted that 57% of the athletes or teams for the Games have been identified, with 43% of the qualifiers yet to be determined. That’s quite a lot. The statement noted that qualifying process will have to be flexible and that, if qualifying events cannot be held, that admission to the Games should be based on:

“a) based on on-field results (e.g. IF ranking or historical results); and

“b) reflect where possible the existing principles of the respective qualification systems (e.g. use of rankings or continental/regional specific event results).”

and

“Any necessary revisions to the Tokyo 2020 qualification systems by sport will be published by the beginning of April 2020 and communicated to all stakeholders.”

That’s the official statement from the IOC. None of the International Federations made any substantive additions to the IOC’s statement on their own sites.

So, we’re in a holding pattern, which some feel is prudent and others slam as impractical or even reckless. But this is only part of the story:

● Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe participated in a first-ever G-7 meeting by videoconference and told the other leaders “We are doing everything in our power to prepare (for the Games), and we want to aim for a complete event as proof that mankind can defeat the new coronavirus.”

Japanese coverage of his comments pointedly noted that Abe “dodged” questions about whether the Games would be held on the scheduled dates.

● Reuters reported that “An Asahi newspaper poll published on Tuesday showed 63% of people across Japan said the games should be postponed, while 23% said they should be held as planned. A similar poll by Kyodo News published on Monday showed almost 70% of respondents do not think Tokyo will be able to host the gathering as planned.”

This is a critical new development, as the interest of the Japanese public has been almost fanatical in support of the Games. A public recognition – even resignation – that the event may have to be postponed is a crucial step that provides the potential for political movement on the Games.

● Japan already has entry restrictions on visitors from some parts of China, Iran, Italy and South Korea and there are reports of plans for more restrictions for visitors from Spain, Switzerland and Iceland and more areas of Italy. Self-quarantine procedures – for 14 days – may be required for visitors from most other European nations.

This isn’t good, but the current stance is to wait and see how the virus spreads further … or doesn’t.

● A startling story from Jamaica reported comments from a radio show last Saturday (14th) by Jamaica Olympic Association President Christopher Samuda that “Above any economic or commercial concerns must be the well-being and welfare of our athletes and that has to be the governing consideration. I cannot afford to take a reckless decision fully well knowing that the situation is not controlled and placing our athletes at risk.

“And therefore, if we do not get the opinions of the experts that it (the virus outbreak) is being managed and that the risk has been minimized, we must take a decision in the interest of our athletes and then say we will not be participating.”

IOC President Thomas Bach (GER) has been clear in recent statements that the key player is all of this is the World Health Organization. So far, there has been no reported recommendation to do anything about the Games, and there is no state of emergency declared in Japan itself. Both of those things appear to be necessary to move the IOC or the Japanese government off of their plans – for now – to host the Games as scheduled.

In the U.S., the Atlantic Coast Conference joined the Pac-12 in canceling all athletic activities, including practices, for the remainder of the school year. The SEC announced today that it has canceled all spring-sports competitions; practices remain suspended on 15 April and will be reevaluated then.

The Big 10 Conference has a suspension of activities in place until 6 April, and the Big XII has the same through 29 March.

The Penn Relays, held for 125 consecutive years, has been canceled. The Drake Relays has not announced what it plans to do yet.

World Athletics postponed its first three meets in the Wanda Diamond League, in Doha (QAT), Shanghai (CHN) and another meet to be held in China; the first meet now on the schedule is the Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm (SWE) on 24 May. Both the mammoth Euro 2020 soccer championship and the Copa America tournament were pushed off to 2021.

The one thread through all of these announcements, no matter where issued, is that the situation is fluid. That’s going to be the case going forward.

LANE ONE: The new threat to Tokyo 2020 is not in Japan, but that athletes can’t qualify or even get to the Games

By
Rich Perelman
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Renovation complete: the new Hilmer Lodge Stadium at Mt. SAC in Walnut, California

We have reached critical mass in the worldwide sports response to the COVID-19 virus, with mass postponements – if not cancellations – of events, including dozens of Olympic qualifiers for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo.

While the spread of the virus continues to be quite modest in Japan, the inability to qualify may end up being a greater threat to holding the Games:

● According to the Johns Hopkins CSSE dashboard, there were 162,687 confirmed cases of coronavirus reported through Sunday (15th), but just 773 in Japan, with 117 declared recovered and 22 deaths. This compares to 12 European nations with more cases, plus China, South Korea, Iran and the U.S. The number of daily cases being reported is skyrocketing worldwide, even while the total inside Japan itself remains low.

Interestingly, Japan’s final qualifying event for the 20 km race walks was held as scheduled on Sunday in Nomi, with Koki Ikeda (1:18:22) and Nanako Fujii (1:33:20) winning and securing spots on the home team for Tokyo.

● The expansion of the virus and the attendant measures to control its spread in Europe and the U.S. especially has collapsed the international sports schedule just at the time when many of the Olympic sports are headed to the heaviest period for domestic competitions as we move into springtime.

● Perhaps the most aggressive of all the International Federations is the Federation Internationale de Soceties d’Aviron (FISA), which governs rowing. On Saturday, it posted a statement noting that “government actions to attempt to contain the transmission of the virus make it very difficult and unadvisable to stage international competitions during the months of March, April and through to May 2020.”

May? The FISA canceled all of its Olympic qualifying regattas through the middle of May, canceled the third World Cup (22-24 May) and added:

“FISA is now in close contact with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in order to finalise proposals regarding the changes to the respective qualification systems. The next communication will take place on Tuesday, 17 March 2020.”

● Other federations have postponed or suspended competitions through the end of March (at least) and for many, into April. Many events are now re-slotted in June. The aquatics federation, FINA, has pushed off most of its events through the end of the month; the gymnastics folks (FIG) have pushed off most of its events through April, again into June. World Athletics still plans to hold its Diamond League opener in Doha (QAT) on 16-17 April, but many events held by others have been canceled or postponed.

● In the U.S., the collegiate sports season is about to collapse completely. The Pac-12 Conference has canceled all competitions through the end of the academic year and will make a determination by the end of the month concerning practices and other “organized team activities.” The Atlantic 10 Conference has shut down both competitions and practices until further notice and the Big 10 has done the same through 6 April. The Big XII has shut down athletic activities at all campuses through 29 March and the Southeastern Conference has done the same through 15 April.

The major college-based spring relay circuit has seen cancellations of the Florida Relays, Kansas Relays, Texas Relays and Mt. SAC Relays, although Mt. SAC might stage a one-day meet (without spectators) for the purpose of competing for Olympic Trials qualifying marks. Drake University stated that it is continuing to “closely monitor” the situation with the 24-27 April Drake Relays.

The University of Pennsylvania is “continuing to evaluate” the status of the Penn Relays (23-25 April), but the Jamaican government has instructed schools not to attend “this year because that travel and the location could involve levels of risks that we would like to discourage and we are putting an advisory out against that travel.”

So now the question about the staging of the Olympic Games in Tokyo is perhaps shifting from whether it can be held in Japan – where the coronavirus outbreak has been mild so far – to whether there will be:

(1) Appropriate and fair qualifying opportunities for athletes to get to the Games, and

(2) Whether there will be safe and sane travel options to get teams to already-arranged training camps ahead of the Games, and then to Tokyo itself.

If the spread of the virus continues for several more weeks in Europe, the cry for delay will reach a deafening level from athletes who either are prevented from competing due to travel restrictions in their own country, or in countries where events are taking place, or who do not wish to expose themselves to mass travel. It’s worth remembering that the fields in athletics and swimming are based on meeting qualifying standards, or an athlete’s place on the current world list.

Moreover, the training situation for many athletes is getting confused, and the ban on collegiate activities is already a problem for American athletes and for the many foreign athletes who are members of college teams.

Despite the calls from those who already hate the International Olympic Committee for other reasons to cancel or postpone the Games, the situation is not yet ripe for resolution. The Japanese are steadfast that the Games must go on. For the IOC, the situation in late April will be critical and the decision time will come then.

(The silliest comments have come from the haters who rip the IOC for not deciding what to do now, with the Games still four months away, and who praise as “leaders” the professional leagues like the NBA, NHL, Major League Baseball and the European football leagues, whose seasons are actually in operation! A double standard to be sure, but that never stopped stupidity before … nor will it in the future.)

In the midst of all of this, however, it’s worth noting that there are competitions ongoing in track & field, including an indoor throws meet in Beijing – of all places – where World Champion Lijiao Gong of China scored a win in the women’s shot with a world-leading 19.70 m (64-7 3/4) throw. The Chinese federation stated that meets scheduled for April are expected to be held. In Pretoria (RSA), star sprinter Akane Simbine ran a world-leading 9.91 in the heats of the 100 m at a regional championship meet, and won the final in 10.01. Very interesting.

One of the events which has been canceled in the wake of the virus was the 4 April grand opening of the newly-renovated Hilmer Lodge Stadium at Mt. SAC in Walnut, California (pictured above), to be followed by the return of the Mt. SAC Relays on 16-18 April.

You may remember that after selecting the site for the 2020 Olympic Trials in June of 2017, USA Track & Field rescinded the appointment in May 2018, citing concerns that the facility would not be completed in time due to local lawsuits. Well, the stadium renovation is complete.

In the meantime, construction has been accelerated in Eugene to finish the new Hayward Field in time for the U.S. Trials in June. It was supposed to open for the Pac-12 Championships in mid-May, but that meet has been canceled and ticket sales for the Prefontaine Classic (6-7 June) have been stopped until the situation for that meet becomes clearer. The U.S. Olympic Trials for track & field are scheduled for 19-28 June.

If needed, Mt. SAC is ready … as it promised it would be.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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HIGHLIGHTS: Maroulis returns to the mat as U.S. secures 11 spots for Tokyo; final race is a win for Biathlon star Fourcade

By
Rich Perelman
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Back in action: Olympic and World Champion Helen Maroulis of the U.S.

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

Many of the international federations shut down their sports this past week, with most events canceled or postponed into April, but there was still a fair amount of action that did take place, including the return of an American wrestling superstar.

● BADMINTON ● The All-England Open in Birmingham was completed this week, while the BWF World Tour will go on hiatus until (at least) 12 April.

In Birmingham, second-seeded Viktor Axelsen (DEN) got past top-seeded Tien Chen Chou (TPE), 21-13, 21-4, while Taipei’s no. 2-seed Tzu-Ying Tai took the women’s Singles over top-seeded Yufei Chen (CHN), 21-19, 21-15.

Japanese teams dominated Doubles play: Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe scored a rare win over Indonesian stars Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, 21-18, 12-21, 21-19, while Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota won the women’s title, dispatching Yue Du and Yin Hui Li (CHN), 21-13, 21-15. Indonesia’s Praveen Jordan and Melati Oktavianti won the Mixed Doubles over Thai stars Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, 21-15, 17-21, 21-8. Full results here.

● BEACH VOLLEYBALL ● The first four-star tournament of 2020 on the FIVB World Tour was for men only in Doha (QAT) with seventh-seeded Michal Bryl and Grzegorz Fijalek (POL) taking their first win of the season over Mexico’s Josue Gaxiola and Jose Luis Rubio (16-21, 21-19, 15-11).

Italy’s Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo won the bronze medal over Evandro Oliveira and Bruno Oscar Schmidt (BRA). The FIVB announced that it would evaluate World Tour events on a one-by-one basis relative to the threat in each country in which a tournament is held, so play continues. Full results from Doha are here.

● BIATHLON ● The IBU World Cup in Kontiolahti (FIN) began on time on 8 March, but the final two days were canceled and the season-ending World Cup Final in Oslo was also canceled, ending the season.

In the men’s racing that did take place, Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Boe won the 10 km Sprint ahead of France’s retiring Martin Fourcade and Emilien Jacquelin. Fourcade came back to win the 12 km Pursuit in a French sweep, with Quentin Fillon Maillet and Jacquelin second and third, and Boe fourth.

Those results gave Boe the seasonal title – his second in a row – by just two points, 913-911, over Fourcade with Fillon Maillet third (843).

The Pursuit win was Fourcade’s final race, completing his brilliant career at 31, with seven World Cup overall titles, five Olympic gold medals and 13 World Championships golds.

There was similar drama in the women’s races, with German Denise Herrmann winning her third race of the season in the 7.5 km Sprint, this time over teammate Franziska Preuss and Norway’s Tiril Eckhoff. France’s Julia Simon won the 10 km Pursuit for her first-ever World Cup win, ahead of Swiss Selina Gasparin.

Italy’s Dorothea Wierer finished 19th in the Sprint and 11th in the Pursuit, but that was enough to hold onto the seasonal title, with 793 points to 786 for Eckhoff and 745 for Herrmann. Full results here.

● CYCLING ● This should be the busiest time of the season in Europe, but the UCI World Tour and Women’s World Tour are both shut down until the beginning of April at the earliest.

However, the 78th edition of Paris-Nice that began on 8 March was concluded on Saturday, shortened by one day due to the coronavirus. Germany’s Maximilian Schachmann won the hilly first stage and was never headed. He stayed close to the front on every stage, finishing 1-8-13-2-17-12-6 and won his first career multi-stage race by 18 seconds over Tiesj Benoot (BEL) and by 58 seconds over Sergio Higuita (COL) with Italian star Vincenzo Nibali fourth (+1:16). See the results summary here.

Colombia’s Nairo Quintana won the main mountain stage on Saturday from Nice to Valdeblore de Colmiane, ahead of Benoot (+0:46) and Thibault Pinot (FRA: +0:56).

● GYMNASTICS ● The FIG Artistic World Cup for the AGF Trophy in Baku (AZE) completed the qualifying rounds on Thursday and Friday, but the finals were canceled.

Qualifying results are here. Greece’s 2016 Olympic Rings Champion Eleftherios Petrounias was the most noteworthy qualifying leader, scoring 15.100 in his specialty. Future events are on hold.

● NORDIC SKIING ● In Ski Jumping, the season was ended this week while the jumpers were in Norway for the Raw Air tournament that should have finished on Sunday. In the men’s events, Slovenia’s Peter Prevc scored his first win of the season last Monday in a wind-delayed competition in Lillehammer, ahead of German Markus Eisenbichler. Poland’s Kamil Stoch won the second individual event in Lillehammer, ahead of Slovenians Ziga Jelar and Timi Zajc.

The qualification event in Trondheim was held on the 11th, with a win for Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi, but that was the last one for the season. Austria’s Stefan Kraft won his second World Cup title with 1,659 points to 1,519 for Karl Geiger (GER) and 1,178 for defending champ Kobayashi.

The women’s situation was the same, with Japan’s Sara Takanashi getting her first win of the season in Lillehammer last Monday, ahead of Maren Lundby (NOR). Lundby won in Lillehammer on Tuesday and managed to defend her seasonal title – her third in a row – with 1,220 points. Austrians Chiara Holzl (1,155) and Eva Pinkelnig (1,029) were second and third.

Trondheim results are here.

● SWIMMING ● Although the Artistic Swimming season is at a standstill, the late-reported results from the first FINA World Cup meet in Paris (FRA) from 6-8 March should be noted.

Ukrainian swimmers were the stars, with Marta Fiedina defeating American Ruby Remati in the Solo Technical, 89.6571-79.8813, and American Anita Alvarez in the Solo Free, 91.8000-86.1333.

Fiedina and Anastasiya Savchuk won the Duet Technical over Laura and Charlotte Tremble (FRA), 90.8721-85.7933, and Duet Free, ahead of Tremble & Tremble, 92.8667-87.8667. The Ukrainians won the women’s Team Free and Free Combination and Team Highlight, all with Fiedina included, so she won seven golds in all!

France won the women’s Team Technical; full results here.

● TAEKWONDO ● World Taekwondo has stopped its competition schedule, but the Pan American Olympic qualifying tournament was held in San Jose (CRC) on Wednesday and Thursday.

A total of 16 quota positions – two per weight class – were available with Lucas Guzman (ARG: 58 kg), Pie Bernardo (DOM: 68 kg), Lucas Hernandez (DOM: 80 kg) and Rafael Alba (CUB: +80 kg) winning the men’s divisions. Andrea Ramirez Vargas (COL: 49 kg), Fernanda Aguirre (CHI: 57 kg), Aliyah Shipman (HAI: 67 kg) and Briselda Acosta (MEX: +67 kg) won the women’s class. American Anastasija Zolotic, 17, took the 57 kg silver and also qualified for Tokyo.

● WRESTLING ● The Pan American Championships in Ottawa (CAN) finished last Monday for most of the men’s Freestyle division, with the U.S. coming away with seven wins in 10 divisions. In addition to the early victories for Anthony Ashnault (70 kg) and Jason Nolf (79 kg), five more U.S. wrestlers won their classes. These included previous Olympic champs Jordan Burroughs (74 kg) and Kyle Snyder (97 kg), plus Tyler Graff (61 kg), John Diakomihalis (65 kg) and Anthony Nelson (125 kg).

The Pan American Olympic qualifier was held in Ottawa this weekend, but without spectators. The finalists in each weight earned a quota spot for Tokyo and in the Greco-Roman bouts, Cuba won three of the six divisions: Luis Orta Sanchez (60 kg), Yosvanys Pena Flores (77 kg) and Gabriel Kindelan (97 kg). American Joe Rau won at 87 kg as Cuban Daniel Hechavarria defaulted due to injury. Silver medalists Ildar Hafizov (60 kg), Alejandro Sanchez (67 kg) and G’Angelo Hancock (97 kg) all earned places for the U.S. in Tokyo.

The women’s bouts saw the return of 2016 Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis of the U.S., who had been suffering through a long recovery from a concussion and then shoulder surgery over the past two years. But she stormed through her bracket, winning her bouts by 10-2, 9-0, 6-2 and 11-0 to reach the final. But all four American women who reached the final – and earned a quota spot for Tokyo – defaulted and left with silver medals. This includes Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg), Jacarra Winchester (53 kg), Maroulis at 57 kg and Kayla Miracle at 62 kg.

The men’s Freestyle competition on Sunday saw U.S. wrestlers Tom Gilman (57 kg), David Taylor (86 kg) and Nick Gwiazdowski (125 kg) all advance to the finals of their classes and earn a quota spot for Tokyo. All were gold medalists as their opponents defaulted in the final. Zain Retherford won a bronze at 65 kg, pinning Albaro Rudesindo (DOM) in 2:45.

Full results here. The U.S. Olympic Team will be decided at the Olympic Trials, now postponed from their original 4-5 April dates.

THE TICKER: Thursday changed the U.S. Olympic Team for Tokyo; World Athletics gives Russia one more chance

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● Thursday’s implosion of the American sports leagues and most of collegiate sports in view of the coronavirus threat will be a day long remembered. It will also change, in some significant ways, the composition of the United States Olympic Team for the Tokyo Games this summer.

Consider the impact of the actions taken by, especially, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA):

(1) The NBA suspended its season as of 12 March, with a review to be undertaken in 30 days. Most teams still have 17-18 games left on their 82-game regular-season schedule before going into the playoffs. Even playing a few more regular-season games as a warm-up for the playoffs, the season could stretch out considerably, even into August.

That would eliminate players on playoff teams from participating in the Tokyo Games, not only for the U.S., but for many other teams whose stars play now in the NBA, such as reigning Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece (Milwaukee Bucks).

(2) The NCAA not only canceled its men’s and women’s basketball championships, but all of its winter and spring sports championships. This includes, among others, wrestling, swimming & diving and indoor and outdoor track & field. The indoor track nationals had been set to start Friday (13th) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Further, all of the major conferences – Atlantic Coast, Big 10, Big XII, Pac-12 and SEC – have suspended competitions at least until the end of the month. The Big 10 canceled all “organized team activities” until at least 6 April and the SEC suspended “all athletics activities” through at least 15 April. Within the Pac-12, UCLA has suspended all “team activities” through at least 29 March and USC has suspended all practices and competitions “until further notice.”

This places the top collegiate athletes in the devastating position of not being able to be coached or receive any support services such as athletic training and weight room access for at least a couple of weeks and maybe longer. There is the follow-up question of access to the sports facilities at some campuses where post-collegiate athletes – from many countries – continue to work with their coaches (who may or may not be affiliated with the university) in training for the U.S. Trials in their sport, or the Games in Tokyo if already selected.

There can be little doubt that if the universities are shut down for any significant period after 1 April that the performances of college athletes will be impacted and the look of the U.S. teams, especially in track, swimming and wrestling, will be different.

The first test of this was going to be the USA Wrestling Olympic Trials, scheduled for 4-5 April at Penn State University, but the event was postponed today (13th). The major American trials:

● Diving: 14-21 June in Indianapolis
● Athletics: 19-28 June in Eugene
● Swimming: 21-28 June in Omaha
● Artistic Gymnastics: 25-28 June in St. Louis

The question on everyone’s mind is how long will the crisis last? Events in China, where the coronavirus epidemic began, are shedding some light on this question.

The first reports of the virus came on 31 December of 2019, with the spread of the virus outside China conformed by the middle of January. The Chinese Basketball Association – which does not have a team in Wuhan or the Hubei Province – suspended its season on 30 January, but is now calling players back. An 11 March memo asked players to return to their clubs to prepare for a re-start to their season on 2 April.

The CBA teams are apparently quite serious about this, “threatening lifetime bans for players who refuse to return and loss of league agency licenses for 2-3 years for their representation.”

However, let’s assume for a moment – and it’s a big assumption – that the virus is under some form of control in China. If so, then the “quarantine” period from 30 January to a projected re-start of the season in April is 8-9 weeks. If we apply this as a loose timetable to the U.S. situation, then activities might be forecast to resume sometime in middle-to-late May.

If so, that’s enough time to get an Olympic Team selected, even if the people on it might not be the same as if the pandemic hadn’t happened. The Chinese Basketball Association example will also be instructive to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the International Olympic Committee on how to judge the future of the Games in Tokyo for the summer. Right now, the news of a CBA re-start would point to Tokyo Games being held as scheduled.

The Olympic Flame was lit in ancient Olympia on Thursday (12th) with no public spectators present. However, there were significant crowds that gathered to watch the relay that followed, despite requests from the Greek government for people to avoid coming out to see the event.

Thus, the Hellenic Olympic Committee canceled the remainder of the relay in Greece, citing “this was the best possible decision in order to contribute to the containment of the virus.” The flame will be transferred to the Japanese organizers as scheduled on 19 March in Athens, again with no spectators allowed.

● Athletics ● “Council acknowledges the new RusAF Board’s decision to admit the charges and apologise for the effect of RusAF’s misconduct on the athletics community. In light of that admission and apology, Council will not call a special Congress meeting of all member federations to consider the expulsion of RusAF from membership of World Athletics at this time.”

That’s from the World Athletics summary of its decision to give the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) essentially one more chance to observe the anti-doping and other rules of the worldwide governing body, or be expelled. The World Athletics Council, meeting in Monaco on Thursday, decided:

(1) To fine the Russian federation $10 million, of which $5 million must be paid by 1 July, or RusAF will be suspended. The remaining $5 million is essentially a probationary-period fine that must be paid if Russia “commits a further breach of the Anti-Doping Rules … or fails to make meaningful progress toward satisfying the reinstatement conditions fixed by Council.”

(2) The program of “Authorized Neutral Athletes” under which some Russian stars had been competing since the end of 2015, was reinstated with a limit of 10 total entries for the 2020 Olympic Games, 2020 European Championships, the World Half Marathon Champs and the World Race Walking Team Championships.

(3) The “Authorized Neutral Athlete” program will be reviewed at the end of 2020 and a decision will be made as to whether it will be continued for 2021.

(4) A new program for Russian reinstatement will be proposed to the World Athletics Congress in Tokyo, requiring the federation to institute a plan “to ingrain … a culture of zero tolerance for doping,” to be monitored by the existing World Athletics Russia Taskforce.

The key was the letter of “admission and apology” sent by new RusAF chief Evgeniy Yurchenko on 3 March. Short of that, Russia would likely have been on the road to expulsion.

This is good news for Russian stars such as high jumper Mariya Lasitskene, vaulter Anzhelika Sidorova and hurdler Sergey Shubenkov, all medal contenders for Tokyo. But changing the culture in Russian athletics will neither be an easy or short process.

● Football ● In the aftermath of the court filing by the U.S. Soccer Federation which clumsily tried to define differences between the men’s and women’s National teams as part as its defense to the discrimination lawsuit filed by the women’s team, USSF President Carlos Cordeiro resigned on Thursday.

He was replaced by USSF Vice President Cindy Parlow Cone, herself a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1996-2004 and was a member of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup winners and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She was elected in 2019 to fill out Cordeiro’s term when he was elected as President and will be President until February of 2021, when an election for the remaining year of Cordeiro’s term will be held.

HEARD AT HALFTIME: Tokyo 2020’s Mori reports apology from Board member suggesting delay; new filing vs. USA Gymnastics

By
Rich Perelman
-

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

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The head of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee rejected the comments of Haruyuki Takahashi, one of his Board members, that the Games will likely be delayed.

The Associated Press reported that Yoshiro Mori, president of the organizing committee, told reporters that “I have spoken to Mr. Takahashi and he has apologized. He certainly said an outlandish thing.

“There is no plan now to change our plans.”

● Vox Populi ● Reader Greg Cornell, a member of the 1984 Olympic Games organizing committee in Los Angeles, opined on the coronavirus sitation, writing:

“The 2020 Olympics will be canceled because the virus is increasing. They are making a tactical error by making their decision on actual count not on forecasted count. They will have no choice but to close down the Olympics.”

The news on Wednesday came from Geneva, Switzerland, where the World Health Organization confirmed the COVID-19 spread as a pandemic. Multiple International Federations have canceled or postponed events, including Olympic qualifiers, due to the virus, some of which are noted below.

A lengthy list of events cancelled or postponed as of 11 March was compiled by the Associated Press here.

● Alpine Skiing ● The Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) announced the cancellation of the final weekend of the women’s World Cup races in Are (SWE) “after new recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Sweden.”

Because the World Cup Finals scheduled for Cortina d’Ampezzo (ITA) have been cancelled, the races in Are were to have been the last of the season … and so the women’s World Cup season is over. American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin was ready to return to the slopes following the death of her father in early February, but will not be racing now.

This means that Italy’s Federica Brignone is the overall winner of the women’s World Cup for 2019-20, with 1,378 points over just a 30-race schedule – out of 41 expected – with Shiffrin second with 1,225. Slovenia’s Petra Vlhova was third with 1,189.

The discipline titles went to Corinne Suter (SUI) in Downhill and Super-G; Brignone in Giant Slalom (Shiffrin third) and Vlhova in Slalom (Shiffrin second).

In the men’s World Cup, this weekend’s Giant Slalom and Slalom races in Kranjska Gora (SLO) will be held without spectators. With the World Cup Final canceled, the season’s final races are this weekend, with Norway’s Alexsander Aamodt Kilde leading with 1,202 points. France’s Alexis Pinturault is second (1,148) and Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) third with 1,041.

● Athletics ● Very good news on Monday for U.S. fans and for sprinter-jumper Jarrion Lawson, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport declared him immediately eligible:

“The CAS Panel has set aside the decision rendered by the IAAF Disciplinary Tribunal in May 2019 (the Challenged Decision) and replaced it with a new decision in which Jarrion Lawson is found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for which he bears no fault or negligence and for which no period of ineligibility shall be imposed on him.”

Lawson tested positive for steroids in June 2018, and was banned for four years beginning in May 2019. However, the arbitration panel found that he had ingested contaminated beef on the night before the test and found that no “bore no fault or negligence.”

Lawson, 25, won the 100 m, 200 m and long jump for Arkansas at the 2016 NCAA Championships, a triple only accomplished previously by Jesse Owens of Ohio State in 1936. He was fourth at the Rio Games in a long jump and won a Worlds silver medal in 2017.

● Figure Skating ● The International Skating Union cancelled the World Figure Skating Championships scheduled for 16-22 March in Montreal (CAN). The ISU announcement noted in detail:

“Considering the current uncertain developments surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic, a rescheduling and/or relocation of the above-mentioned Championships within the current season, even if the season would be extended by several weeks after its normal end in early April, cannot be reasonably considered. During the coming weeks, the ISU will evaluate in cooperation with all stakeholders whether the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2020 could possibly be held later in the year, but in any case not before October 2020. Before taking a final decision, the ISU will remain in close contact with Skate Canada and ISU Members.”

● Football ● The U.S. Women’s National Team wrapped up a SheBelieves Cup tournament victory on Wednesday night with a 3-1 victory over Japan in Frisco, Texas. Megan Rapinoe and Christen Press scored in the first half and although Mana Iwabuchi cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 58th minute, Lindsey Horan scored in the 83rd minute to ice the game and the tournament title.

The Japanese were the only team to score on the U.S. during the three games and had the edge in possession (55%) and shots-on-goal by 11-7. But the American women are now unbeaten in their last 31 games.

Coupled with Spain’s 1-0 win over England, the final standings saw the U.S. with a perfect 3-0 mark, followed by Spain (2-1), England at 1-2 and Japan at 0-3. The U.S. women are next scheduled to face Australia on 10 April in Sandy, Utah and Brazil on 14 April in San Jose, California.

U.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro released a statement during the final minutes of the USA-Japan game that was read on the air on ESPN, apologizing for a court filing earlier this week which argued that the men’s and women’s teams have “materially different jobs” that would preclude a discrimination case under U.S. law due to physical differences, abusive fans in men’s games and other items. The filing sparked public outrage, including multiple USSF sponsors, some of whom requested meetings with the federation.

Cordeiro’s statement read in part:

“On behalf of U.S. Soccer, I sincerely apologize for the offense and pain caused by language in this week’s court filing, which did not reflect the values of our federation or our tremendous admiration of our women’s national team.”

He further noted that the highly-respected national firm of Latham & Watkins will be more deeply involved in the federation’s defense of the suit, which is scheduled to begin in Los Angeles on 5 May.

Will this impact the outcome of the suit? Not very likely, as there are many other more important issues in the case, notably that the women are operating under a collective-bargaining agreement that runs through 2021 which created a different compensation structure than the U.S. Men’s National Team. But somebody is going to lose their job over this.

● Gymnastics ● There were new developments in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court case between the Nassar abuse survivors and USA Gymnastics (and others), including a new request for damages outside of the liability insurance offer now pending.

On Monday (9th), the request of the Survivors Committee to hire an outside financial advisor to determine how much money could be taken from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and still allow it to operate was denied by the Court. No further orders were entered.

On Wednesday, a request was made to amend a class-action claim headed by survivor Marcia Frederick Blanchette – the 1978 World Uneven Bars Champion – that might allow some claimants to pursue actions against the Directors & Officers insurance policies held by USA Gymnastics.

These “D&O” policies are described in the request had a limit of $5 million, and none of this amount was factored into the proposed plan being offered to the entire survivors community; in fact, the policy was issued by an as-yet-uninvolved insurer. The filing asks the Court to allow the class-action claim to be restated so that (1) damages would be limited to $150,000 per claimant as provided under statute and that (2) only those who claims which arose after the passage of the federal Safe Sport Act in 2017.

The claim’s chances rest on some technical aspects of the Bankruptcy Code and what the claimants characterize as “easy” logistics. A hearing was requested for late April.

● At the BuZZer ● In the midst of a lot of bad news, there was a stunning announcement by the Commonwealth Games Foundation that it has signed Swiss timing company Longines as “Official Partner and Timekeeper” for the 2022-26-30 Commonwealth Games.

This is the first time that a sponsor has signed up for more than one Commonwealth Games, which began back in 1930. Longines was given the designation as “Inaugural Partner of the Commonwealth Sport Movement” and will be the “Presenting Partner” of Athletics, Gymnastics, Rugby Sevens and Table Tennis for each Games.

It’s a significant boost for the Commonwealth Games, which has been one of the most underrated of the “regional” games, but regularly draws some of the world’s top athletes. The next edition is scheduled for Birmingham (ENG) in 2022, with archery and shooting events to take place several months earlier in India.

LANE ONE: In a crisis, discipline and focus are hard to maintain, as Tokyo 2020 is finding out

By
Rich Perelman
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The coronavirus is a major public-health crisis which is having impacts in many countries and is causing the cancellation, delay or implosion of mass gatherings, a list that may possibly include the Games of the XXXII Olympiad this summer in Tokyo, Japan.

In such times, it’s crucial not to panic, and to focus on the tasks ahead and the available options.

For a group like the Tokyo Olympic organizers, with the Games scheduled to start on 24 July and the Olympic Village opening on 14 July, discipline is key. That discipline broke down on Tuesday.

The Wall Street Journal published a story headlined “If Olympics Can’t Be Held This Summer, Best to Postpone 1-2 Years: Japan Organizing Official,” quoting Haruyuki Takahashi, a Tokyo 2020 Board member, and formerly a senior managing director at the Japanese marketing giant Dentsu.

The story quoted Takahashi as saying “I don’t think the Games could be canceled; it’d be a delay. The International Olympic Committee would be in trouble if there’s a cancellation. American TV rights alone provide them with a huge amount” and “We’ll have to start talking about this seriously from April.”

Seeing a comment like this from a Tokyo 2020 Board member and not from CEO Yoshiro Mori – a former Prime Minister of Japan – or national Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto or Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, is astounding.

Having worked on 20 multi-day, multi-site events in my own career, including five Olympic/Olympic Winter Games, this kind of behavior has always been unacceptable. Just about 36 years ago, in early 1984, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee also faced a major threat from a potential Soviet boycott – as retaliation for the U.S.-led boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games – with the possibility that the event could come apart.

As the Vice President for Press Operations in those days, I was leading a planning team of 25 staff getting ready for 8,700 news media – including broadcasters – coming to cover the Games. As LAOOC employees, our protocol was clear: talk to the press, without permission, and you were subject to being fired … immediately. Same for the LAOOC Board members. Any official word would come from chief executive Peter Ueberroth, or through News Secretary Amy Quinn.

When the announcement of the Soviet boycott came on 8 May – also the day the coast-to-coast Olympic Torch Relay began – the LAOOC staff was called together in the cavernous former Hughes Helicopter design facility that was our headquarters by the late Harry Usher, our Executive Vice President/General Manager. His message was clear: no one talks to the press other than Ueberroth, Quinn and the news relations staff.

But there was also a plan of action. The race was now on to recruit countries to come to the Los Angeles Games, and not join the Soviet boycott. After 92 countries attended the Montreal Games in 1976 – which was boycotted by 29 African nations – only 80 competed in Moscow in 1980 as 66 countries stayed away as part of the U.S.-led boycott effort.

If the Soviet-led boycott gained steam, there was a contractual possibility that a significant part of the $225 million ABC-TV rights fees could be withheld, or even disappear.

Although LAOOC employees went silent to news media calls for comments, they burned up the phone and telex lines with outreach efforts to National Olympic Committee officials they knew. In our department, our athlete-information researcher, Nejat Kok, had a close relationship with the NOC of Turkey and made direct contacts to get the Turks to formally commit to come to the Games. With staff members from several dozen countries on the LAOOC, the numbers added up quickly.

In the end, a record total of 140 nations came to the Los Angeles Games, in part because the communications efforts were aimed at a goal of assuring the success of the event, not talking to the news media.

Has Takahashi helped or hurt the situation?

I suggest that he has hurt the Tokyo organizing efforts by continuing to take the attention away from the promotion of the summer’s potential stars and away from the Games, and playing up the speculation aspect. He may be proved right, but there is no way to know now.

Takahashi also created an entirely new discussion, of when a postponed Tokyo Games would take place. He opined that a 2022 Games would be more likely, since there was already so much activity planned for 2021. He knows what he’s talking about:

● 2021:
Jul. 15-25: World Games in Birmingham, Alabama (USA)
Jul. 16-Aug. 1: FINA World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka (JPN)
Aug. 6-15: World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon (USA)

● 2022:
Feb. 4-20: Olympic Winter Games in Beijing (CHN)
Jul. 27-Aug. 7: Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (GBR)
Sep. 10-25: Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN)
Nov. 21-Dec. 19: FIFA World Cup in Qatar

A 2022 Olympic Games in July and early August would upset the Commonwealth Games program completely – possibly delayed to 2023 – but would (unusually) steer clear of the World Cup thanks to its being held so late due to the high heat of the Middle East summer.

Someone who does have the standing to talk about what to do about the Games is the senior member of the International Olympic Committee, Canadian Dick Pound. In late February , he told the Associated Press that a decision would have to be taken by late May to either cancel – which he thought more probable – or postpone the Tokyo Games. He said:

“In and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask: ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not?’”

So let’s wait. Despite assurances that everything is “full steam ahead” right now, there can be little doubt that studies of the issue are underway inside the Tokyo organizing committee and Takahashi’s comments reflect that. But there is no clear outcome, and the massive shutdown in Italy is designed to break the cycle of expansion seen in the virus in that country.

Readers of this column sent comments in January questioning how the SportsAccord conference scheduled for Beijing in mid-April could be held. Lo and behold, on 20 February, the event was moved to Lausanne, Switzerland … which is now facing its own coronavirus threat and the event could be postponed, or moved again, or canceled.

Serious decisions, made by serious people, come when the issue is ripe for determination, not before. Pound says the decision point is likely in May and given his 60-year experience with the Olympic Games, that should be respected, especially since no contrary viewpoint to his comments has come from the IOC otherwise.

One more thing. The calls to make a determination about the Games now, or to set “red lines” that would trigger a specific decision, are the most athlete-unfriendly action the IOC or the Tokyo organizers could take at this time. The athletes want to compete and are continuing to train for the Games, or qualify to get there. They deserve that chance, and advancing scenarios to make as early a decision on the Games as possible doesn’t help them at all. As Pound said with clarity two weeks ago, “All indications are at this stage that it will be business as usual. So keep focused on your sport and be sure that the IOC is not going to send you into a pandemic situation.”

Did Takahashi’s comments help move the Tokyo organizers forward? It’s hard to see how, especially at a time when discipline and focus are needed, and needed now.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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LANE ONE: Sure, the Tokyo Games are threatened by Covid-19, but what about Beijing 2022?

By
Rich Perelman
-

The spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) around the world is wreaking havoc with sporting events all over the globe and is threatening the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo this summer.

International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach (GER) posted an open letter on Friday (6th) on the IOC’s Athlete365 site, noting in part:

“As a result of the many consultations we had and are having with the World Health Organization (WHO), with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, with the Tokyo Metropolitan government, the Japanese government and many authorities around the world, in particular the Chinese, I can assure you that the IOC is fully committed to successful Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, starting 24 July. These regular consultations are continuing so that we can address any new developments.”

But while the clock is ticking toward Tokyo – the Olympic Village will open on 14 July – there is already significant action concerning the forthcoming Olympic Winter Games in China in 2022. Consider:

● Who knows what will happen with Covid-19? The epidemic started in China, in and around the Wuhan area in the centrally-located province of Hubei. The city of Beijing is 655 miles (1,054 km) to the northeast, part of the Heibei province, so a fair distance away, a little less than from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City (688 miles).

You can follow the spread of the Covid-19 situation on this dashboard provided by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering. Hubei remains the center of impact, with 45,235 recoveries and 2,986 deaths out of the 80,699 cases reported in China.

● Once the Tokyo situation is concluded – in whichever way it works out – we’ll be in late August 2020. From that point, it’s just more than 17 months prior to the Opening Ceremony on 4 February 2022 … and that means a decision will be right in the lap of the IOC almost immediately after the Tokyo Games end.

It will be impossible to guess what the situation will be as we go through 2020, so there will no talk of postponement. But if the 2022 Winter Games were to be threatened by a late-2020 outbreak in Heibei province, or in neighboring Tianjin province, the IOC realistically would have perhaps five months to decide what to do.

It will take a decision made not less than a full year before the Games in order to allow another city to get ready, re-arrange contractual details and hastily organize the event. In the one instance where a Winter Games was re-located, Innsbruck (AUT) was selected in 1973 to host the 1976 Games, after Denver, Colorado withdrew as the elected host.

● The drumbeat against China as an inappropriate host of the 2022 Winter Games, in view of its human-rights record, has begun.

Back in December, U.S. Senators Rick Scott (R-Florida) and Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) sent a letter to NBCUniversal, including “We urge NBC to stand with us and request that the IOC re-bid the 2022 Olympics or refuse to air the 2022 games.” That went nowhere, of course, but last Wednesday, Scott and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) “introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move the 2022 Winter Olympics out of China and rebid it to a country unless Beijing addresses its violation of human rights. This resolution was also sponsored by Senators Jim Inhofe, Dick Durbin, Martha McSally, Doug Jones, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Todd Young, Marsha Blackburn and Mike Braun.”

Said Scott, “Communist China should not be allowed to host the 2022 Olympic Games while simultaneously running concentration camps, violating human rights and oppressing the people of Hong Kong. The Olympic Games are an incredible opportunity to allow the world’s best athletes to represent their countries and unite our nations, and should not be hosted by one of the world’s worst human rights abusers.”

● This view isn’t only coming from the U.S.

German investigative journalist Hajo Seppalt, who broke the Russian doping scandal wide open in 2014 and recently led the ARD documentary team which accused the International Weightlifting Federation of corruption, tweeted on 3 March (in English via Google Translate):

“In this country, Thomas Bach leaves Olympus in 2022. Play games. Analogy to 2008. No public word of protest. Always revealing how the IOC is silent about dictators and autocrats. // Chinese journalist: reported from Wuhan – and disappeared”

and

“Foreign Journalists are under pressure in China. Question: What does IOC say about this, the 2022 Olympics. To host the Winter Games in Beijing? Forecast: Bach will not say a word about this publicly. For this we can prepare ourselves for hand-shake photos by Bach + Xi Jinping.”

This is only the beginning and will intensify after the Tokyo Games (however held) end in August. Bach will remind the inquisitors that only Beijing and Almaty (KAZ) wanted the Games, after withdrawals from Oslo (NOR), Stockholm (SWE), Krakow (POL) and Lviv (UKR) and discussions with many other cities; referendums killed potential bids from Munich (GER) and St. Moritz and Davos in Switzerland. The vote for Beijing was hardly a landslide, with a final tally of 44 votes against 40 for Almaty.

Moreover, any ideas about changing Beijing as a host for 2022 will require an alternative and there is only one real option: Salt Lake City. The host of the successful 2002 Winter Games has the venues available to organize on short notice and with a year to prepare, would have time for an agreement with the University of Utah to arrange a break in classes to allow use of its student housing for the main Olympic Village.

Salt Lake City is already the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s choice to be its next Winter Games candidate and a bid has strong political backing in the state. It’s worth remembering that the 2002 Games ran an actual surplus, including paying the State of Utah back for the cost of a voter-approved measure to build the jumping and sliding venues in Park City (!).

Further, the Salt Lake City bid committee has experienced leadership with deep understanding of how to make this event work, notably including Fraser Bullock – the chief operating officer of 2002 organizing committee – and Colin Hilton, a venue director in 2002 who has served as the chief of the Olympic legacy foundation since the end of the Games.

How all of this might work with the USOPC, NBC and especially the Los Angeles 2028 organizers, is open to speculation, but could likely be worked out.

And, interestingly, if the Chinese are actually as serious as they say they are about using the 2022 Winter Games to introduce winter sports to more of its population, they might welcome a postponement of this hosting responsibility to 2030, after the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in 2026. That would be a lot better than insisting on hosting an event of this scale if the spread of the virus in late 2020 continues apace.

There was a lot of pushback against Beijing’s hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games because of its human-rights record, and there were issues with things as simple as Internet access for news media during the Games. Depending on what happens with the status of Covid-19 later this year, the Chinese might welcome an option to go long with its Winter Games plans.

Bach might not mind, either. But, Tokyo comes first.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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HIGHLIGHTS: Ledecky leads U.S. swimmers as 12 new world-leading marks set in Des Moines; U.S. women edge Spain, 1-0

By
Rich Perelman
-
Olympics-bound American Freestyle superstar Katie Ledecky (Photo: USA Swimming)

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

● ALPINE SKIING ● Bad weather canceled the Super-G racing on Sunday in Kvitfjell (NOR) after Austria’s Matthias Mayer won the final Downhill of the FIS Alpine World Cup season on Saturday.

Mayer finished ahead of Norway’s Alexsander Aamodt Kilde and Swiss Carlo Janka, but Swiss stars Beat Feuz (Downhill) and Mauro Caviezel (Super-G) won the seasonal Crystal Globes. The overall leader remains Aamodt Kilde, with 1,202 points, ahead of France’s Alexis Pinturault (1,148) and Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR: 1,041). The season will conclude – weather permitting – in Kranjska Gora (SLO) with a Giant Slalom and Slalom, good events for Pinturault and Kristoffersen. Full results here.

The women’s racing in Ofterschwang (GER) was canceled for bad weather; the final races of the season will be a Parallel Slalom, Giant Slalom and Slalom in Are (SWE). Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. has said she will be in Are, but is not sure if she will race or how well. She’s in the second in the overall standings by 1,225-1,378 to Italy’s Federica Brignone.

● BIATHLON ● The seventh of nine stops in the IBU World Cup was in Nove Mesto (CZE), with a battle royal on for the men’s title, between the seven-time champion Martin Fourcade (FRA) and defending champion Johannes Thingnes Boe of Norway.

Boe got a lot closer to Fourcade by winning both races in Nove Mesto, a 10 km Sprint and a 15 km Mass Start. France was second in both races, with Quentin Fillon Maillet (Sprint) and Emilien Jacquelin (Mass Start). Fourcade was sixth and 14th, but still leads the standings, with five events to go, by 853-810-800 with Boe and Fillon Maillet in hot pursuit.

The women’s races went to Denise Herrmann (GER) in the 7.5 km Sprint and Norway’s Tiril Eckhoff (12 km Mass Start), the latter’s seventh win of the season. Heading into the final two events of the season, Italy’s Dorothea Wierer still leads with 776 points, ahead of Eckhoff (707) and Sweden’s Hanna Oberg (705). Full results here.

● BOBSLED & SKELETON ● Competition in the new women’s Monobob continued in La Plagne (FRA), with Breeana Walker of New Zealand winning on Saturday over Karlein Sleper (NED), 0.78 seconds, and then repeating the victory on Sunday, finishing ahead of Romanian Andreea Grecu by just 0.07. It’s the third win of the season for Walker; the eight-race tour will finish on 3 April in Lake Placid. Full results here.

● FENCING ● Three events were scheduled, with the men’s Sabre Grand Prix moved from Padua (ITA) to Luxembourg and two Olympic stars showing they are more than ready for Tokyo.

In Luxembourg, Hungary’s Aron Szilagyi demonstrated that he’s aiming for a third straight Olympic title in Sabre, taking the final from Korea’s Bong-Il Gu, 15-12. Sang-Uk Oh (KOR) and Veniamin Reshetnikov (RUS) finished third. The victory was the seventh career World Cup gold for Szilagyi, still just 30.

In Athens (GRE), the women’s Sabre, it was American star Mariel Zagunis who took her first World Cup title since 2000, out-pointing Hungary’s Lisa Pusztai, 15-6 in the final. It was Zagunis’ first win in a World Cup since taking the 2016 Athens title. Now 35, she won back-to-back Sabre golds in 2004 and 2008 and after taking a maternity leave, is now back among the medal contenders for Tokyo.

In the Epee Grand Prix in Budapest (HUN), Japan’s Masaru Yamada, 25, scored his first-ever Grand Prix win with a surprise victory over France’s Yannick Borel, the 2018 World Champion, by 15-11. A similar shocker came in the women’s division, as France’s Alexandra Louis Marie, 24, topped Korea’s Sera Song, 26, by 15-13, in a final where neither had ever made a Grand Prix final. Links to results are here.

● FOOTBALL ● Spain gave the U.S. its toughest match of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, losing 2-1, and underlined that result on Sunday in front of a boisterous crowd of 26,500 at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. But the result was almost exactly the same.

Both sides had excellent scoring chances, with Spain knocking a possible goal off the U.S. post, but in the 87th minute, Julie Ertz got to a driving free kick from Christen Press and headed it off the hand of keeper Sandra Panos and into the Spanish goal for a 1-0 win in the second session of the SheBelieves Cup.

Spain held possession for 60% of the game and both sides had nine shots at goal; that’s how close it was. The U.S. has now won both of its games; England (1-1) defeated Japan, 1-0, in the opening game and the U.S. women can win the tournament with a draw or victory against Japan on 11 March in Frisco, Texas (8 p.m. Eastern).

The U.S. Women’s U-20 team romped to victory in the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship, played in the Dominican Republic.

The American juniors whitewashed its three pool-play opponents by 24-0, then defeated St. Lucia (6-0), Canada (4-0), the Dominican Republic for a second time (6-0) and finally Mexico in the final by 4-1. That’s a goals-against total of 44-1 and the sixth title for the U.S. in this tournament.

The leading scorer was Haiti’s Melchie Dumomay with 14 goals, followed by Mia Fishel of the U.S. with 13; Fishel won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s top player. Both the U.S. and Mexico qualified for the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup, to be played later this year.

● FREESTYLE SKIING ● In the final Aerials competition of the season, in Krasnoyarsk (RUS), Swiss Noe Roth won the men’s competition over home favorite Pavel Krotov, while Australia’s Laura Peel won her second event of the tour, ahead of Sicun Xu (CHN) and Ashley Caldwell of the U.S.

The seasonal crowns went to Roth, ahead of Krotov by 386-334, and to Peel, by 469-351 ahead of China’s Mengtao Xu. Full results here.

● GYMNASTICS ● The annual American Cup, held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, confirmed once again that Sam Mikulak is a real medal contender for Tokyo and that Morgan Hurd should not be counted out in the U.S. women’s Olympic Team race.

Mikulak won the All-Around for the second time (also in 2014), scoring 85.332 to impressively out-distance Ukraine’s Rio All-Around silver medalist, Oleg Verniaiev (83.064) and Britain’s James Hall (82.999). American Shane Wiskus (82.797) was fourth. Mikulak won on Floor and Parallel Bars was third on Rings, second on Vault and third on the High Bar. Verniaiev won on Pommel Horse and tied with Hall for first on Rings.

Hurd won for the second time in the last three years, scoring 55.832, ahead of Kayla Di Cello (USA: 55.132) and Hitomi Hatakeda (JPN: 53.799). After missing the U.S. World Championships team last season, Hurd – the 2017 World All-Around Champion – won won on Uneven Bars, was second on Beam and third on Vault and Floor. Di Cello won the Vault and was third on Beam and Floor. Full results here.

● NORDIC SKIING ● The FIS Cross Country World Cup came to one of its iconic venues this weekend, at Oslo’s Holmenkollen, but no spectators were allowed to watch to protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

On Saturday, World Cup overall leader Therese Johaug was beaten in a distance race for only the second time this season in 17 starts. Sweden’s Frida Karlsson made a huge move over the last two laps on the 6.2 km course and skied past Johaug in the final meters for a dramatic win in the 30 km Classical Mass Start race. Even with the second-place finish, Johaug has clinched the overall World Cup for the season, her third.

The men’s 50 km Classical Mass Start was won for the second year in a row by Russian Alexander Bolshunov. Despite heavy fog, rain and wind, he triumphed over Norway’s Simen Hegstad Kruger by 0.9 seconds, chasing him down after a breakaway on the final lap. The win nearly (but not quite) clinches the season title for Bolshunov, who has a 2,221-1,726 lead over Sprint specialist Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR), with three Sprints and two distance races remaining. Full results here.

There was also a mid-week Sprint on Wednesday in Konnerud (NOR), with Sweden’s Jonna Sundling winning the women’s race over Nadine Fahndrich (SUI), and Norwegians Klaebo, Havard Taugbol and Eirik Brandsdal sweeping the men’s race.

The Nordic Combined season ended on Saturday with the final race in Oslo, as the World Cup Final program in Schonach (GER), set for next week, was canceled due to lack of snow. But it wouldn’t have made any difference to the winner, Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber.

Completing perhaps the greatest season in history, Riiber won his 14th race in 17 held this season – a record – and defended his 2018-19 title in style, winning by 54.1 seconds in front of his home fans, over Fabian Riessle (GER). Riiber finished with 1,586 points, far ahead of Jorgen Graabak (NOR: 1,106) with Vinzenz Geiger (GER: 917) third. Full results here.

The Ski Jumping World Cup was also in Oslo, beginning the Raw Air Tournament for men and women that will continue for a week. The men’s and women’s individual competitions on Sunday were blown away by high winds and will be held on Monday in Lillehammer, on the famed Lysgardsbakken 140 m hill.

● RUGBY ● The men’s Sevens Series tournament in Vancouver (CAN) saw New Zealand’s All Blacks win for the third time, edging Australia, 17-14, in the final. Canada got into the third-place match and defeated South Africa, 26-19, for the bronze medal. Full results here.

After six of 10 stages in the 2019-20 season, New Zealand continues to lead with 115 points, trailed by South Africa (104), Fiji (83), Australia (81) and England (77).

● SNOWBOARD ● The penultimate SnowCross races were held in Sierra Nevada, Spain, with excellent showings by the home favorites. Lucas Eguibar, the 2017 Worlds silver medalist at Sierra Nevada, won on his favorite course, ahead of Alessandro Hammerle (AUT) and Paul Berg (GER). With one race left, Hammerle now leads, 2,960-2,950-2,130 over Italians Lorenzo Sommariva and Omar Visintin.

The women’s race was won by French star Chloe Trespeuch, taking her first gold of the season, with Michaela Moioli (ITA) continuing her streak of medals in all five events this season. Australia’s Belle Brockhoff won her fourth medal of the season in third. Going into the final event of the tour on 15 March in Switzerland, Moioli leads Brockhoff, 4,400-3,500, with Eva Samkova (CZE) third at 2,710. Full results here.

● SPEED SKATING ● The ISU World Cup concluded in Heerenveen (NED), with the home team winning six of the 12 races on the schedule and collecting four season titles.

In the men’s events, Japan’s Tatsuya Shinhama left no doubt who is the best sprinter in the world this season, with wins in both 500 m races – both times beating Canada’s Laurent Dubrueil – and taking the seasonal title by 482-433 over Russia’s Viktor Mushtakov, with Dubreuil third (420).

The Netherlands dominated most of the remaining events, with Thomas Krol winning the 1,000 m over Dubreuil and taking the seasonal title over teammate Kai Verbij, 294-272, with Dubreuil third (251). Kjeld Nuis won his second career season title at 1,500 m, winning the race over Krol, and out-pointing China Zhongyan Ning by 282-266, with Krol third (259).

Dutch distance star Patrick Roest won the 5,000 m and the seasonal title (360); Canada’s Graeme Fish was second in the race, but third on the season (306) to Russian Danila Semerkov (323). The Mass Start title went to Belgian Bart Swings, who finished second in Heerenveen to Korea’s Jae-Won Chung, with Joey Mantia of the U.S. third. Swings won his second career Mass Start title by just a single point, 570-569, over Mantia, with Chung a distant third (462).

In the women’s Sprints, Vanessa Herzog (AUT) and Russian Angelina Golikova won the two 500 m races, but Japanese star Nao Kodaira – third and second in Heerenveen – took the season title with 528 points to 504 for Golikova. It’s Kodaira’s third.

Jutta Leerdam of The Netherlands defeated American star Brittany Bowe in the 1,000 m by 0.28 seconds, 1:13.699-1:13.981, but Bowe easily won her second straight and fourth career World Cup title at the distance by 326-256 over Kodaira with Russia’s Olga Fatkulina third (242). The 1,500 m was a runaway for Ireen Wust (NED), who won the race and breezed to her third career seasonal title. 342-260 over Japan’s Miho Takagi (second in the race as well) and Russian Evgeniia Lalenkova (both 260).

The 3,000 m was won by Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann over Antoinette de Jong (NED), her second win of the season, but it wasn’t enough to keep Czech superstar Martina Sabilkova – who finished fourth – from collecting her 13th career World Cup distances title. Sabilkova won two races and was second twice in the six events to win again, but by only 357-353 over Weidemann.

Canada’s Ivanie Blondin finished third in the seasonal distance category, but won the season Mass Start title easily, scoring 548 points to 492 for Dutch star Irene Schouten and 442 for Japan’s Nana Takagi. Melissa Wijfje won the race in Heerenveen, ahead of Maryna Zuyeva (BLR) and Schouten. Full results here.

● SWIMMING ● The third leg of the Tyr Pro Swim Series for 2020 was held in Des Moines, Iowa, with a sensational showing for American stars, who claimed 2020 world-leading marks in 12 events:

● Men’s 50 m Freestyle: 21.51, Caeleb Dressel
● Men’s 200 m Backstroke: 1:55.22, Ryan Murphy
● Men’s 100 m Butterfly: 50.92, Dressel

● Women’s 200 m Freestyle: 1:54.59, Katie Ledecky
● Women’s 400 m Freestyle: 3:59.66, Ledecky
● Women’s 800 m Freestyle: 8:16.23, Ledecky (en route)
● Women’s 1,500 m Freestyle: 15:29.51, Ledecky
● Women’s 100 m Backstroke: 58.18, Regan Smith
● Women’s 100 m Breaststroke: 1:05.74, Lilly King
● Women’s 200 m Breaststroke: 2:21.67, Annie Lazor
● Women’s 200 m Butterfly: 2:06.11, Hali Flickinger
● Women’s 400 m Medley: 4:32.53, Melanie Margalis

Make no mistake about it, Ledecky is back at full strength. She won the 200-400-1,500 m Frees and her performance at 1,500 m was the fifth-fastest in history. But perhaps even more impressive was her 200 m win, in her fourth-fastest time ever and fastest since 2018. It was the no. 18 performance in history; she now owns five of the top 20 times ever in that event.

Among the men, Dressel (50 m Free and 100 m Fly), Murphy (100-200 m Back) and Michael Andrew (100 m Breast and 200 m Medley) each won two events. In addition to Ledecky, Regan Smith won the 100 and 200 m Backstroke events. Pretty impressive; full results here.

● TABLE TENNIS ● The ITTF World Tour Qatar Open did take place in Doha, with two-time World Championships Singles medalist Zhendong Fan of China winning the men’s Singles title over surprise finalist Liam Pitchford of England, 4-1, as part of a powerful statement by the Chinese, who won four of the five divisions.

In men’s Doubles, Long Ma and Xin Xu defeated Pitchford and Paul Drinkhall (ENG), 3-1, and China swept the women’s events with Meng Chen beating Mima Ito (JPN), 4-1, and Manyu Wang and Yuling Zhu (CHN) easing past Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki (JPN), 3-1, in women’s Doubles.

Japan’s Jun Mizutani and Ito won the Mixed Doubles by 3-1 over China’s Chuqin Wang and Yingsha Sun. Full results here.

● TRIATHLON ● The first stage of the World Triathlon Series was scheduled for Abu Dhabi (UAE), but was postponed as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. A new date later in March, or in April is hoped for. The next scheduled event is Bermuda, for 18 April.

● WRESTLING ● The U.S. has dominated the Pan-American Championships being held in Ottawa (CAN), winning seven titles so far, with more competition on Monday.

In Greco-Roman, the American men won medals in every weight class, with Max Nowry (55 kg), Ray Bunker (72 kg), John Stefanowicz Jr. (82 kg), Josef Rau (87 kg) and G’Angelo Hancock (97 kg) all winning their divisions.

Mallory Velte and Tamyra Mensah-Stock won the women’s classes in the 62 kg and 68 kg classes for the only U.S. women’s titles. Reigning World Champion and Olympic favorite Adeline Gray was injured and was not able to compete in the 76 kg final, won by default by Canada’s Justina Di Stasio.

Jason Nolf won the men’s Freestyle title at 79 kg; the men’s Freestyle program concludes on Monday; you can find full results here.

THE TICKER: Coronavirus kills FIS Alpine finals; Russian athletics finally contrite; more Nassar abuse tug-of-war

By
Rich Perelman
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Kenyan women's Flyweight boxer Christine Ongare, who "punched her ticket" to Tokyo with a third-place finish at the African qualifiers (Photo: IOC)

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

● Alpine Skiing ● The coronavirus danger in Italy has cancelled the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals. The Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) announced today (Friday) that “The recommendation of the FIS Council was made during an emergency conference call where the latest information and recommendations from the Italian, International and National Health Authorities of participating nations were presented. The main issue that steered the recommendation of the Council affecting the organisation of the Finals in Cortina was the travel restrictions imposed by an increasing number of National Authorities, which would have likely limited the participation of several athletes.”

This means the men’s World Cup schedule is down to two events, in Kvitfjell (NOR) this weekend (Downhill, Super-G) and Kranjska Gora in Slovenia on 14-15 March (Giant Slalom, Slalom). The women’s World Cup has only one event remaining, in Are (SWE) on 12-13-14 March (Parallel Slalom, Giant Slalom, Slalom).

The women’s Downhill and Super-G seasons are thus completed, with Corinne Suter (SUI) winning the Downhill over Czech star Ester Ledecka and overall leader Federica Brignone, 477-322-320. Suter also won the Super-G over Brignone, 360-341, with Nicole Schmidhofer (AUT, 217) third.

Brignone leads the overall standings, 1,378-1,225-1,189 over Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. and Petra Vlhova, but with three races left, the race is still up for grabs. Shiffrin announced on Instagram that she will race in Are, but wrote “I have no promises if I’ll actually be able to race when the time comes, and I don’t really even have goals. I just hope to make a few good turns. I think that would make my dad happy.”

The men’s World Cup chase is tight, with France’s Alexis Pinturault leading Norwegians Alexsander Aamodt Kilde and Henrik Kristoffersen, 1,148-1,122-1,041.

● Athletics ● World Athletics postponed its World Half Marathon Championships, scheduled for 29 March in Gdynia (POL) to 17 October in light of the coronavirus.

An important break in behavior was noted in the continuing suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation. On Monday (2 March), the newly-elected head of RusAF, Yevgeny Yurchenko, admitted that the federation has submitted false paperwork to try and preserve the eligibility of 2018 World Indoor Championships high jump gold medalist Danil Lysenko for “whereabouts” reporting failures in 2018.

The Associated Press reported Yurchenko’s comments, including “’I have fully accepted the charges’” against the federation “’related to the actions of the previous leadership in the Lysenko case.’

“Yurchenko said the federation apologizes for its conduct.

“‘I very much hope that, even belatedly, our actions make it possible to remove from the agenda the matter of expelling RusAF from World Athletics, and will make it possible to start the procedure of reinstating RusAF in World Athletics as a full member, and also to resume the process of issuing neutral status to our athletes.’‘

Yurchenko said on Wednesday that “I am planning soon to send to international member federations of World Athletics official letters in a bid to present them a new stance of RusAF’s new administration over the recent developments in the Russian track and field athletics in order to establish a trustworthy and constructive dialogue.”

There are significant additional issues beyond the Lysenko case that will have to be dealt with, but this is a change in tone from Russia, notably since the appointment of FISU head Oleg Matytsin as sports minister in February.

There was some serious business at the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which announced a long-expected four-year ban on 2016 Olympic Champion and former world-record holder Ruth Jebet of Bahrain (formerly of Kenya).

She tested positive for erythropoietin (r-EPO) in an out-of-competition sample on 1 December 2017. She contended that she did not ingest any prohibited substance with any intention to dope, but the Disciplinary Tribunal found that Jebet did so and confirmed a four-year suspension as of 4 February 2018.

This immediately lit a fire on social networks, especially from Rio Olympic bronze medalist Emma Coburn of the U.S., on Twitter:

“1/The Olympic Gold Medalist is now serving a 4 year ban for using EPO. I won Bronze that day. She tested positive in 2017 so Rio results still stand. Sometimes if a performance seems too good to be true, it is. My Bronze will shine brighter than her Gold.

“2/In the 18 months prior to her positive EPO test, Ruth Jebet cost me $100,000 in bonuses & prize money. In the 18 months prior to her positive EPO test, she set the WR twice, won Olympic Gold & was 5th at Worlds 2107 [sic].

“3/I’m not bitter, I am not broken by this, but I wanted to show the real financial consequences that clean athletes face when its not a level playing field.”

Other commenters noted that Jebet ran 9:15.40 for the Steeple in 2015, then exploded for a world record of 8:52.78 in 2016 and the Olympic gold medal.

The AIU also announced a suspension of Kenyan marathoner (2:10:19 ‘19) Peter Kwemoi for the use of EPO, based on an in-competition test in November of 2019. He is suspended, subject to appeal, for four years from 17 December 2019.

Finally, the AIU published its annual classification of national track & field federations according to their “obligations” under the World Anti-Doping Code. The list of category “A” federations considered most susceptible to doping violations was enlarged from five to seven, with the addition of Morocco and Nigeria. The existing five federations already included are Bahrain, Belarus, Ethiopia, Kenya and Ukraine.

Category B includes 15 federations, among them the U.S. and Canada and most of the larger European countries. Category C includes the 155 others that are part of World Athletics.

● Baseball ● An agreement between the World Baseball Softball Confederation, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced on Tuesday (3rd) will allow all players not on the active, 26-man rosters to compete in both the Olympic qualifying tournaments and in the Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo.

Previously, the entire 40-man rosters had been off-limits to Olympic play. The Americas qualifier comes up from 22-26 March in Arizona and the final qualifier is in June in Chinese Taipei. This is not the same as having Major League players in the Olympic Games, but it is a significant step closer and will increase the talent level in the qualifiers and at the Games.

● Boxing ● An International Olympic Committee task force is overseeing the regional qualification tournaments in boxing for the 2020 Tokyo Games and someone had a really fun idea.

The oft-used phrase of an athlete or team “punching their ticket” in qualifying for an event was taken literally at the African Qualifying Tournament in Dakar (SEN). There, the top three finishers (in most weights) qualified for Tokyo, including Kenyan women’s flyweight bronze medalist Christine Ongare (pictured above).

After winning her third-place bout, she was indeed presented with a “ticket” stating “You have qualified for Tokyo 2020.” That’s one of the best tickets anyone can hope to receive!

● Cycling ● The coronavirus is shredding the worldwide cycling calendar, just as the European season gets underway.

The spread of the disease in Italy has led to the postponement, possibly until October, of major races including the Strade Bianche (Siena) scheduled for this weekend, as well as the seven-stage Tirreno-Adriatico (11-17 March) and the famed Milan-SanRemo (21 March).

The 78th edition of Paris-Nice from 8-15 March is expected to be held as planned, but future events in Italy – which has been hit hard by the virus – will be scrutinized. The first of the annual Grand Tours, the Giro d’Italia, is not until 9 May.

● Football ● The SheBelieves Cup started on Thursday in Orlando, Florida, with Spain defeating Japan, 3-1, and the U.S. earning a 2-0 win over England.

The no. 1-ranked American women created the most chances in the first half, but neither side could score. From the start of the second half, the U.S. kept the pressure on and Christen Press scored in the 53rd minute to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead off an assist from Carli Lloyd. Continued pressure led to a Lloyd goal just two minutes later, off a cross to the mouth of the goal by Lindsey Horan. The English mounted multiple attacks in the final half-hour, but were unable to convert; the American women outshot the English, 22-8 for the game.

The U.S. and Spain will meet on Sunday in Harrison, New Jersey at 5 p.m. Eastern time and telecast on ESPN, and TUDN in Spanish. Spain gave the U.S. its toughest game at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the Americans winning, 2-1, in the Round of 16 thanks to two penalty kicks by Megan Rapinoe.

The third matches will be played on Wednesday, 11 March in Frisco, Texas (8 p.m. Eastern) with the U.S. playing Japan and England facing Spain.

● Gymnastics ● The Nassar-abuse legal proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana have continued to heat up. A very well-coordinated series of public appearances and tweets by Survivors Committee member Aly Raisman pounded the proposed USA Gymnastics reorganization plan as inadequate, complaining vociferously that it did not address her questions about the entire issues:

“How’d it begin? WE DON’T KNOW! Who looked away? WE DON’T KNOW! Why’d they stay? WE DON’T KNOW! Who tried 2 help & got pushed out? WE DON’T KNOW! Who didn’t try & just snuck out? WE DON’T KNOW! They come, they go. What did they know? Where’d they go? WE DON’T KNOW! WE DON’T KNOW!”

Scott Reid of the Orange County Register wrote in a 4 March story that “Attorneys for 512 of the 517 survivors who said they were sexually abused by former U.S. Olympic and women’s national team physician Larry Nassar and other USOPC and USA Gymnastics national team coaches and officials told [Southern California News Group] this week that none of their clients would vote to accept the proposed settlement.”

That was, however, hardly the last word on the subject. Two more filings were made with the Bankruptcy Court on Friday. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee filed a statement to “correct errors and misstatements” in the Survivors Committee request. USA Gymnastics objected to the appointment of a financial advisor for the Survivors Committee to evaluate how much money could be taken from the USOPC and still allow it to operate.

The USAG motion noted Reid’s article and others like it, and stated that:

“In light of the recent public statements by counsel representing nearly half of the sexual abuse claimants, as well as by Committee members themselves, that the Plan’s Settlement Election is unacceptable and should be rejected, it makes little sense for the Committee to spend estate resources evaluating third-party releases that exist only under the Settlement Election.”

A footnote added that “Collectively, two firms represent at least 256 of the 517 sexual abuse claimants (excluding sexual abuse claims that are duplicative, withdrawn, disallowed, or subject to pending objection).”

The next step is a hearing on Monday concerning the proposed reorganization plan from USA Gymnastics. Stay tuned.

● Weightlifting ● The International Weightlifting Federation postponed the 2020 Asian Championships, to have been held in Tashkent (UZB) from 16-25 April and canceled the 2020 World Junior Championships in Bucharest (ROU) from 13-21 March.

In the meantime, the independent inquiry into the corruption allegations made in an ARD television (GER) documentary by the Canada-based McLaren Global Sport Solutions has opened a Web site for whistleblower reporting, with communications support for 108 languages.

The first progress report to the IWF Council on the investigation is expected later this month.

● The Last Word ● Michael Payne was the IOC’s marketing chief for 17 years and knows a whole lot about companies and why they commit to sponsorships. He was bemused by a stunning 4 March tweet from the IOC’s Athlete365 account:

“Do you need help securing a sponsor? Look no further for expert advice

“1. Understand why companies sponsor
“2. Prepare by building an audience
“3. Decide what kind of sponsorship you want
“4. Figure out who to contact
“5. Make contact

“Learn more: https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/finance/5-easy-steps-to-find-sponsors/”

His reply, firmly tongue-in-cheek:

“Now we see how IOC sells TOP programme. Real simple.”

As anyone who has sold sponsorships can tell you, there is nothing easy or simple about it. The IOC’s Athlete365 group should know better, much better.

LANE ONE: Bach gets 13 of 14 questions about the coronavirus and Tokyo, but remains “fully committed”

By
Rich Perelman
-
IOC President Thomas Bach of Germany

It was obvious that something was up, as Wednesday’s news conference with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) was much more crowded than previous editions at the new IOC headquarters building in Lausanne, Switzerland.

And after the fifth straight question concerning the spreading coronavirus and July’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, Bach smiled slightly and asked the assembled media:

“Do you have an agreement among yourselves that you try to get me into speculation there, finally?

“I can assure you I will not get tired, and to repeat the statement I made: the IOC is fully committed and we are not participating in any kind of speculation.”

No agreement was necessary and the questions continued, with Bach remaining resolute and focused, but he did add some worthwhile details:

● “I can tell you that today, in the meeting of the Executive Board, neither the word ‘cancellation’ not the word ‘postponement’ was even mentioned. And of course, we are a responsible organization; this is why we have this joint task force, which is having regular meetings, and there we are addressing there any issues which may arise. But we are not speculating on any kind of future developments.”

The joint task force includes the IOC, the Tokyo 2020 organizers, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the government of Japan and the World Health Organization.

● Two of the last three questions were essentially the same, asking how Bach could be so confident that the Games will go on as scheduled:

“Because we are in contact with all of these leading experts. The World Health Organization is a member of the joint task force. We have our own task force within the IOC with experts; the organizing committee has a task force and then we are getting together in the joint task force. And based on this information, on this consultation, we are fully committed to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.”

and

“I had a conversation with the Director General of the World Health Organization and the leading people in the organization last Friday, and when we say we are fully committed to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, we took this conversation into consideration as, as well as the contribution and advice the World Health Organization is giving on a regular basis to the joint task force.”

● Bach also quoted some figures from the Tokyo 2020 organizers from their report which underlines the importance of maintaining a positive outlook for the Games, especially within Japan itself:

“4.5 million Olympic tickets have been sold domestically in Japan, and to give you an indication of the enthusiasm of the Japanese people around these Olympic Games, one figure is maybe interesting for these 4.5 million tickets, there were over 80 – eight, zero – million requests since the start of the sale of tickets in Japan.”

Bach also spoke about a series of other initiatives that the IOC is undertaking, but that drew little interest from the media assembly.

One of them will show up at this summer’s Games in Tokyo: a change in the IOC’s Opening Ceremony protocol to allow National Olympic Committees to have two flagbearers – one male and one female – to jointly carry the flag into the stadium. (How two people are going to carry one flag is yet to be figured out; it would have been better to allow each NOC to have two flagbearers: one with the national flag and one with the flag of the NOC itself.)

Another is a new IOC program to create an “Olympic Forest” and a promise that future Games will be “carbon-positive”:

“We will have in Tokyo about 2.9 million tons of emissions related to the Games, which will be fully compensated. ‘Fully’ means not only be related to the activities of the OCOG, but the Olympic Games as such. And Paris is aiming for a reduction of these carbon emissions to 1.5 million [tons] already.

“And for the hosts of 2030 on, the IOC will make this commitment to be climate positive obligatory in the Host City Contract. This is a commitment with regard to the organization of the Olympic Games, but there is a second commitment, with regard to the IOC as an organization.

“Now, the IOC as an organization is carbon-neutral, already since 2017, but here again we wanted to lead by example and we do not want only to tell the organizers of the Olympic Games ‘you have to be climate positive,’ the IOC itself must lead by example and wants to become climate-positive as soon as possible, and that means way before 2030. So as a part of these efforts, to become climate-positive as soon as possible, the IOC will start planting an Olympic Forest, starting in 2021. And this will help the IOC to become climate-positive , and with this Olympic forest, we will contribute to the project, which is backed by the United Nations Environmental Program – by UNEP – and is initiated by the African Union with a number of African states and some other international organizations and is planned for the Sahel region of Africa.” (The Sahel is the region just below the Sahara Desert, running the width of the continent, including parts of 14 countries: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.)

No interest.

Bach did comment on China, where the coronavirus has had the most impact, commending the Beijing 2022 winter organizers, who did appear in Lausanne to report on their progress:

“Despite these challenges, the organizing committee could present their report, which shows – with impressive numbers – how successful they are in their engagement program. So they’re well on target to make 300 million Chinese people familiar with winter sports. They have, already now, just a couple of months after the start of the program, 670,000 applications for just 39,000 volunteer positions , and the application phase is still going on until next year. So we can expect some more record numbers , and also the marketing program is extremely well on the way: there are already 10 marketing partners.

“They had to cancel in China [a] FIS World Cup, but on the other hand, we were informed about various successful China national winter games, which were held at the new Olympic venues.”

There was one question that wasn’t aimed in part at Tokyo 2020 and the virus issue, asked about the status of the suspended International Boxing Association (AIBA) and the agreement to hold the Paris 2024 surfing competition in Tahiti.

On AIBA, Bach put down the hammer.

“We also had a very short report of the monitoring group of AIBA, which is – as you know – separate from the organizing group for the competition. And there, you would not get me to say that I am optimistic, and this is not because the report was so short. So we will have to see how this will go on. We keep monitoring this, but I cannot say more at this moment in time.”

The federation was to hold a special congress to elect new officers and pass reform legislation this month in Budapest (HUN), but this has been postponed – due to the coronavirus – until 20 June. But Bach’s comment is not good news.

Bach added that the IOC agreed to the Paris 2024 request for Tahiti after considering the environmental impact, but most especially because of the “athlete’s experience: we are told that the surfing athletes are really eager to have this competition in Tahiti because of the conditions there, the waves.”

Always the politician, Bach smiled at the end of 30-plus minutes of questions and closed with a off-the-cuff laugh line: “Thank you for your great interest in gender and climate and have a nice evening.” He was hardly tired.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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THE BIG PICTURE: IOC expects Tokyo Games to go on as scheduled, passes on new transgender rules, OKs ‘24 surfing in Tahiti

By
Rich Perelman
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Within the Olympic world, Tuesday’s attention was on Lausanne and the meeting of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee … and the potential impact of the coronavirus on the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

IOC President Thomas Bach told reporters that “Following a very comprehensive discussion today with the Executive Board, the IOC remains fully committed to the success of the Tokyo Games 2020.

“I would like to encourage all the athletes to continue their preparation for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with great confidence and full steam.”

The IOC further released a statement about the situation, including

“A joint task force had already been created in mid-February, involving the IOC, Tokyo 2020, the host city of Tokyo, the government of Japan and the World Health Organization (WHO). The IOC EB appreciates and supports the measures being taken, which constitute an important part of Tokyo’s plans to host safe and secure Games.

“The IOC will continue to follow the advice of WHO, as the leading United Nations agency on this topic. The IOC EB expressed its thanks to WHO for its continued valuable advice and cooperation.”

At a 33-minute news conference following the Executive Board meeting, IOC spokesman Mark Adams (GBR) was asked question after question about the situation, but his first answer was the best. Queried how the IOC could be so sure the Games will take place as planned, beginning on 24 July:

“All the advice we are getting from the competent authorities, and the most important one is the U.N.-recognized leads in this, which is the WHO. As you know, there is not even an international travel ban and still not a pandemic announced. All the advice we’re getting is that the Games can and will go ahead.

“There are some issues and complications with qualification, although thankfully National Olympic Committees and IFs are working very closely together and we have seen to be doing a very good job in making sure athletes can compete. So, at this precise time, we are working, moving ahead and expect the Games to begin on the 24th of July.”

Adams was further asked if there had been any Executive Board discussion of a deadline to make a decision about changes to the Games, and the answer was no. (If you are looking at the calendar, the date to keep in mind is not 24 July – the date of the Opening Ceremony – but 14 July, when the Olympic Village will open.)

That’s where we are right now.

There was some outside noise injected into the discussions from Tokyo, where the Japanese government’s Olympics Minister, Seiko Hashimoto, told the National Diet in response to a question that “The IOC has the right to cancel the games only if they are not held during 2020. This can be interpreted to mean the games can be postponed as long as they are held during the calendar year.”

The coronavirus discussion obscured some of the other important business discussed by the Executive Board, including:

● Agreement to the transfer of allegiance for 11 athletes on an expedited basis, including four Russians all now competing for Uzbekistan. These four include potential medal winners Olga Zabelinskaya (road cycling) and Ilyas Bekbulatov (wrestling: Freestyle/70 kg) and two modern pentathletes. Also, ex-Iranian judo World Champion Saeid Mollaei was approved to compete for Mongolia, after being listed as a refugee athlete following his defection last year.

● The IOC passed on changing its outdated 2015 guidelines on transgender athletes, stating that to do so now – so close to the Tokyo Games – would be unfair:

“To date, the IOC has started a process of consultation to consider not only the medical, scientific and legal perspectives, but also that of human rights, with an emphasis on the view and experiences of affected athletes.

“Overall, the discussions so far have confirmed considerable tension between the notions of fairness and inclusion, and the desire and need to protect the women’s category. Opinions are very diverse and difficult to reconcile, and perceptions differ strongly. The new IOC guidelines will have to balance all of these.”

The current goal is not to create a “one size fits all rule,” but “a framework of voluntary guidelines for athletes and International Federations.” The 2015 guidelines suggest a serum testosterone limit for the women’s division of 10 nmol/L, but both World Athletics and the Union Cycliste International have adopted a 5 nmol/L limit, following up on the research in athletics that led to the same limit level for athletes with hydroandrogenism such as South Africa’s double 800 m Olympic champ Caster Semenya of South Africa.

The IOC also approved the proposal by the Paris 2024 organizers to create a temporary venue at the Place de la Concorde for multiple events, and to place the surfing competitions in Tahiti at Teahupo’o, one of the world’s great surfing sites. In his post-meeting news conference, Adams noted not only the enthusiasm of the 2024 organizers to use Tahiti, but the excitement of some of the surfers to compete there rather than in Biarritz, a recent host of the ISA World Championships.

● REAX ● Although it’s just one sport and a small number of competitors, one must ask whether the Paris organizers are doing the International Surfing Association any favors by placing that competition to far away from France. Out of sight, out of mind? And looking ahead to Los Angeles in 2028, the Southern California surfing community will certainly not be interested in placing an Olympic competition in Hawaii!

With the Richard McLaren-led investigation into charges of corruption in the International Weightlifting Federation now in high gear, the IOC also noted “It is with great respect that the IOC Executive Board today had to accept the resignation of Mr. Tamas Ajan from his status as an IOC honorary member.” Ajan, the longtime IWF Secretary General and then President, is sharing his duties while the inquiry takes place and was a member of the IOC from 2000-2010.

● REAX ● Resigning from the IOC is one of the last things that Ajan wants to do and having known him over decades, is undoubtedly deeply distressing to the 81-year-old Hungarian. But by doing so, he removes the question to the IOC leadership of why he continues to be a member, even on an honorary basis. He has plenty of other things to worry about going forward.

The IOC Executive Board meeting will continue on Wednesday, with Bach scheduled to give a news conference at about 7 p.m. Lausanne time; check here for live video coverage.

LANE ONE: Nassar survivors committee targets USOPC as deep pocket in settlement vs. litigation election

By
Rich Perelman
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The ultimate strategy of the high-profile survivors of the Larry Nassar sex-abuse cases was unveiled via a court filing last Friday: target the assets of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.

The filing by the “Additional Tort Claimants Committee of Sexual Abuse” asks the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana to approve the hiring of Nashville, Tennessee-based Gibbins Advisors for “[a]dvising the Survivors’ Committee in investigating the assets, liabilities and financial condition of the USOPC.”

The specific reason for the request is further explained, with regard to the forthcoming election by the 517 plaintiffs against USA Gymnastics and others on the proposed Reorganization Plan for USA Gymnastics, which includes a settlement option that would trigger $217.125 million in damages payments:

“The non-consensual third party releases and channeling injunction would extinguish all Abuse Claims for compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages against USOPC. USOPC is not contributing any of its own funds as consideration for the release and channeling injunction. The Disclosure Statement contains no information relating to USOPC’s financial condition or its ability to make a contribution of its own funds as consideration for its release while maintaining viability to fulfill its mission” and

“Some of the jurisdictions in which cases against USOPC are pending permit discovery of a defendant’s financial condition in connection with punitive damages claim. Therefore, the Abuse Claimants need disclosure concerning USOPC’s financial condition to evaluate what they would be giving up by making the Settlement Election. The Court will also need this information to determine if the payments under the Plan constitute sufficient consideration to release the claims against USOPC, including the punitive damages claims.”

What does this mean in plain language?

(1) The Claimants Committee, which consists of nine women who have filed as abuse survivors, is unhappy that the Settlement Election option settles all cases – now and in the future – in one stroke and absolves all of the related players – including the USOPC – from any further exposure to liability.

Olympic gold-medal winners Simone Biles and Aly Raisman railed against this aspect of the proposal on tweets reported on Saturday (29th), with Raisman stating:

“The problem is USAG & USOC don’t want anyone to know. This is a massive cover up. The only way for anyone to know what really happened is if someone forces them to release ALL documents & data to investigate. HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN?”

(2) In order to advise its individual claimants on the proposal, the committee wants to hire an expert to estimate how much money it might recover from the USOPC, that would still allow the USOPC to continue operations.

(3) This information will be important to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court as well to determine if the financial aspects of the settlement plan filed by USA Gymnastics are “fair.”

This is pretty sophisticated stuff from the Claimants Committee and its legal team; it’s worthwhile to note that the claimants group includes two attorneys, Rachel Denhollander and Sarah Klein, who are both co-chairs. Consider:

● The proposal plan of reorganization for USA Gymnastics, if approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, will go to a vote in April and early May by the claim holders. It can be approved, either with a “Settlement” option or a “Litigation” option.

If the Settlement option is adopted, all 517 of the claimants will receive a cash payout from $1.25 million down to $82,550, depending on the nature of the claim. If the Litigation option is adopted, then everyone is on their own and has to re-file within 30 days.

● The request for information about the USOPC ‘s financial situation and the tweets by Biles and Raisman are interesting tactics to counter the guaranteed payout being offered by the Settlement option. In simplest terms, the pitch is that it’s more important to uncover “all the facts” and affix specific blame to individuals and organizations – ostensibly so that such abuse will never happen again – then to receive the promised financial compensation, which would have to be sought after in individual trials that will take years (and may recover nothing).

● The public threat of going after the USOPC’s assets could create pressure on that organization to sweeten the pot. The Claimants’ filing states that the USOC is putting none of its own money; this is technically correct, but the USOPC was an additional insured on the USA Gymnastics policies and the settlement offer of $217.125 million could not have been made without the USOPC’s agreement, for which it required all claims against it to be settled.

The Plan specifically states that “Nothing contained in this Plan constitutes an admission or denial by any Person of liability for, or the validity or priority, amount or extent of any Claim … asserted against [USA Gymnastics] or any third party.” This and the agreement to release all parties by taking the Settlement option is for the protection of groups like the USOPC against further actions for punitive damages or other causes of action.

The USOPC’s assets are not actually the subject of much doubt. Its 2018 financials showed $594 million in assets, including about $495 million in cash and investments. In 2018 alone, it took in $296 million and spent $270 million.

However, if the USOPC were to agree to contribute anything more than its coverage as an additional insured, it could open itself to claims from athletes in other sports – swimming and taekwondo come to mind – that abuse survivors there also deserve compensation (and possibly, punitive damages).

Is there some middle ground? Possibly, but that’s not going to come out in any public filing until an agreement – privately negotiated – is made.

● The Claimants’ Committee’s attorneys are well aware of sec. 1129 (b) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which allows the Bankruptcy Court to confirm the Reorganization Plan, even if it loses in a vote, “if the plan does not discriminate unfairly, and is fair and equitable, with respect to each class of claims or interests that is impaired under, and has not accepted, the plan.”

The Court could find that the Settlement program is the fairest to all of the 517 claim holders, since it pays them all, rather than leaving each of them to their own fate in an uncertain legal environment for probably 451 of the 517 plaintiffs (87.2%). The 66 claimants against USA Gymnastics who alleged abuse in events hosted or owned by the federation would have a fair-to-good opportunity for recovery in suits against USAG and/or the USOPC. Those 66 are the ones whose proposed compensation is $1,250,758 each.

There is also the matter of de-certification of USA Gymnastics, which was begun by the USOPC, but halted once the Chapter 11 filing was made in 2018. Once the election or defeat of the Plan has been made, the Bankruptcy Court oversight of USA Gymnastics can be concluded and the de-certification process could actually begin.

But, it’s worth remembering that even if the USOPC decides to remove USA Gymnastics as the National Governing Body for the sport in the U.S., its word is not final. The Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, at 36 U.S.C. sec. 220529 requires that an NGB whose recognition has been revoked by the USOPC “may obtain review by any regional office of the American Arbitration Association” and “Final decision of the arbitrators is binding on the parties if the award is not inconsistent with the constitution and bylaws of the [USOPC].”

We’re not close to the end of this, but the next step comes in a hearing on 9 March in Indianapolis for the Bankruptcy Court to determine if the Reorganization Plan can go to a vote. Then it’s up to the survivors to determine what’s next.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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HIGHLIGHTS: Big wins for Germany in Bobsled, Luge and Cycling; world record for Chloe Dygert Owen; U.S. shooting & table tennis picks Olympians

By
Rich Perelman
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New U.S. 25 m Pistol Olympian Lexi Lagan

Headline results of noteworthy competitions around the world:

It’s been a busy weekend in international sport; click here for our coverage of track & field, including U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials wins for Galen Rupp and Aliphine Tuliamuk, a fast Tokyo Marathon that was limited only to the elite runners, and hot running in the Boston University Last Chance meet, with n American Indoor Record in the 3,000 m for Karissa Schweizer.

● ALPINE SKIING ● The FIS Alpine World Cup started the final month of its season, but without much skiing due to heavy weather for both men and women.

In Hinterstoler (AUT), Austrian veteran Vincent Kreichmayr won the Super-G on Saturday and France’s Alexis Pinturault won one of his favorite events – the Alpine Combined – on Sunday. Swiss Mauro Caviezel was second in both and has three silvers in the last four races. The scheduled Giant Slalom has been postponed to Monday. With nine races left out of 43 on the season, Norway’s Alexander Aamodt Kilde still leads with 1,082 points, followed by Pinturault (1,048) and Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR: 981). Full results here.

The women had it even tougher. Austria’s Nina Ortlieb won Saturday’s Super-G, ahead of World Cup leader Federica Brignone (ITA) at La Tuhile (ITA), but Sunday’s Combined was snowed out and next week’s Giant Slalom and Slalom in Ofterschwang (GER) were canceled with bad weather ahead. Full results here.

With 30 of 37 races completed, Brignone leads American Mikaela Shiffrin by 1,378-1,225, with no indication of a return by Shiffren this season, after the death of her father in January. Slovakian star Petra Vlhova is now third at 1,189.

● BOBSLED & SKELETON ● The World Championships in Altenberg concluded on Sunday with a German sweep of the second week. Double Olympic champ Francesco Friedrich (GER) drove his four-man sled to a third straight world title; he now owns 11 Worlds wins plus two silvers for a career total of 13. He has now won both the 2-man and 4-man titles in three straight Worlds. Germany swept the event, with Johannes Lochner second and Nico Walther third.

German entries swept the Skeleton events, with Christopher Grotheer, Axel Jungk and Alexander Gassner taking the men’s medals and Tina Hermann winning her third world title (and second in a row). Swiss Marina Gilardoni was surprise silver medalist, ahead of Austria’s Janine Flock. Jacqueline Loelling and Gassner teamed to win the Mixed Team event. Full results here.

● CURLING ● Tabitha Peterson and Joe Polo won the USA Curling Mixed Doubles National Championship in Bemidji, Minnesota on Sunday with a 7-4 win over defending champions Cory Christiansen and John Shuster in the final.

A three-point fourth end was decisive and the winners will represent the U.S. at the World Mixed Doubles Championship in Canada in April. More details here.

● CYCLING ● The seven-stage UAE Tour on the UCI World Tour was cut short by two days when two confirmed cases of the coronavirus were reported for two Italian staff members of one of the participating teams. All of the riders and staff were quarantined in their hotels until tested and released. The standings after five days showed Britain’s Adam Yates as the winner, 1:01 ahead of Tadej Pogacar (SLO) and Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ: +1:33). Full results here.

The European “Classics” season opened on Saturday with the 75th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite race from Ghent to Ninove (200 km) in Belgium, with a 1-2 for the home crowd. Jasper Stuyven outleaned Yves Lampaert at the finish, with Dane Soren Kragh Andersen third (+0:06). It’s the first win for Stuyven in this race; he had been no better than fourth in four prior tries. Full results here.

The Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin (GER) were closely watched as a preview of the action in Tokyo this summer, with the home team and the Dutch having the most to cheer about. Sprinter Harrie Lavreysen (NED) won the Sprint, the Keirin and joined Jeffrey Hoogland and Roy van den Berg in the Team Sprint for three golds during the event. Denmark’s Lasse Norman Hansen won the men’s Madison with Michael Morkov and garnered a second gold as a member of the winning Team Pursuit squad. Ashton Lambie of the U.S. won the only American men’s medal with a silver in the Individual Pursuit, won by Italy’s Filippo Ganna.

The women’s races had another triple winner in the Sprints, with German Emma Hinze thrilling the home crowd with golds in the Sprint and Keirin and as a member of the Team Sprint with Pauline Grabosch. American Chloe Dygert Owen won the Individual Pursuit (in world-record time: 3:17.283) and joined Jennifer Valente, Emma White and Lily Williams for another American gold in the Team Pursuit. Valente won silver medals in the Scratch Race and Points Race and finished fifth in the Omnium after an exhausting schedule. Her three medals give her a career Worlds total of nine. Dygert Owen has now won the Worlds Pursuit three times and the Team Pursuit four times and the U.S. is a clear medal favorite for Tokyo in that event.

Dutch star Kirsten Wild won both the Scratch Race and the women’s Madison, riding with Amy Pieters. The Dutch won the most total medals with nine (and led with six golds), with Germany winning eight medals (4-1-3), followed by Italy (6) and the U.S. and France (5). Full results here.

● DIVING ● The opening leg of the 2020 FINA Diving World Series was held in Montreal (CAN) over the weekend, with the perennially-favored Chinese staying home because of the coronavirus outbreak there.

That opened the door for host Canada, which collected six golds and eight medals overall in the 10 events. Philippe Gagne scored an upset over Britain’s two-time Worlds bronze medalist, Jack Laugher, in the 3 m Springboard, and Jennifer Abel won the women’s 3 m, with Meaghan Benfeito taking the 10 m Platform title. Abel and Melissa Citrini Beaulieu won the Synchro 3 m and Benfeito and Caeli McKay took the Synchro 10 m. Finally, Abel won a third event with Francois Imbeau-Dulac in the Mixed 3 m.

Russian divers won three events and had the most total medals with nine. Platform star Viktor Minibaev took silver in the men’s 10 m, then teamed with Aleksandr Bondar to win the men’s Synchro 10 m, and with Ekaterina Beliaeva in the Mixed 10 m Synchro. Nikita Shleikher and Evgenii Kuznetsov won the men’s 3 m Synchro.

The lone American medal was won by Mike Hixon, third in the men’s 3 m Springboard. Full results here.

● FREESTYLE SKIING ● A light schedule this week had only a Dual Moguls events in Shymbuylak (KAZ), with Japan’s Ikuma Horishima winning his first Dual Moguls gold of the season, just ahead of Canadian superstar Mikael Kingsbury. The women’s event saw U.S. star Jaelin Kauf win for the first time this season; she’s the only woman with medals in all three events so far (1-1-1); France’s seasonal leader, Perrine Laffont, was third.

In the Aerials competition, American Chris Lillis won a medal for the second straight event, taking the victory over Swiss Pirmin Werner. Ukraine’s Nadiya Mokhnatska won the women’s event over Megan Nick of the U.S. Full results here.

● LUGE ● The ninth and final stop of the 2019-20 World Cup circuit in Koenigssee (GER) saw more German dominance, with wins in the women’s and Doubles divisions, as well as seasonal titles.

Newcomer Anna Berreiter (20) won the women’s race for her second victory in the last three, but second-place Julia Taubitz (GER) was the seasonal winner with 965 points to 957 for Russia’s Tatiana Ivanova. American Summer Britcher finished fifth, just behind Berreiter, 637-523.

The German Doubles team of Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken won their fourth meet of the season in a tight duel with teammates Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt and won the seasonal title again, 872-847 over Wendl and Arlt, defending their 2019 crown.

Russian Semen Pavlichenko won the men’s racing by 0.03 over Austria’s Jonas Muller and countryman Roman Repilov, but it was Repilov coming out on top for the season by 765-749-741 over Dominik Fischnaller (ITA) and defending champ Pavlichenko. Full results here.

● MODERN PENTATHLON ● The 2020 World Cup season opened in Cairo (EGY), with Hungary’s 35-year-old Adam Marosi showing he plans to be a contender this season. The Olympic bronze medalist in 2012 and World Champion in 2009, he out-scored Korea’s Woongtae Jun, 1,470-1,460 thanks to his big win in fencing and strong swimming performance.

Britain’s Joanna Muir used a strong finish in the Laser Run to take the women’s title, finishing with the same point total as Russian Uliana Batashova, but out-leaning her at the line. It was Muir’s first-ever individual World Cup medal!

The home fans had plenty to cheer in the Team Relay, as Egypt’s Eslam Hamad and Haydy Morsy and Ahmed Elgendy and Salma Abdelmaksoud went 1-2. Full results here.

● NORDIC SKIING ● The Cross Country skiers were in Lahti (FIN) and home favorite Iivo Niskanen won his second event of the season in the 15 km Classical, besting overall leader Alexander Bolshunov (RUS).

Norway’s Therese Johaung won the women’s 10 km Classical for her astonishing 17th victory of the season, essentially giving her the seasonal title for the third time. Johaug claimed the all-time record for most distance-race wins with 63, surpassing countrywoman Marit Bjoergen. Full results here.

In the Nordic Combined racing, also in Lahti, Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber – who has already clinched the season title – failed to win a medal for the first time this season, finishing 10th! Instead, it was 2017-18 season champ Akito Watabe who got his first win of the season, , 2.9 seconds ahead of Jorgen Graabak (NOR). Full results here.

The Lahti festival was completed with the 999th and 1,000th ski jumping competitions in the history of the men’s World Cup and it was seasonal leader Stefan Kraft (AUT) and Karl Geiger (GER) who traded wins on the 130 m hill. They were 1-2 on Saturday and 2-1 on Sunday, leaving Kraft in front, 1,613-1,495 after 25 of 29 events. Full results here.

● RUGBY ● The men’s Sevens Series came to the Los Angeles area – Carson, California to be exact – for the fifth of the 10 tournaments, with South Africa claiming its second title with a 29-24 win over Fiji in the final.

Fiji, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand won their pools and then the Fijians crushed Oz, 43-7 in their semi. The All Blacks shut down New Zealand, 17-0, in the other semi, leaving New Zealand to out-point Australia, 19-17, in the third-place game. Full results here.

Through five tournaments, New Zealand still leads with 93 points to 89 for the South Africans, 72 for Fiji and 67 for France in fourth.

● SAILING ● In the Laser Radial World Championships off Melbourne (AUS), Dutch star (and reigning Olympic champ) Marit Bouwmeester won her fourth title, just holding off countrywoman Maxime Jonker, 42-44, after a bad medal race finished a week of difficult weather. Full results here.

The men’s and women’s RS:X World Championships finished on Saturday off Victoria (AUS), with more Dutch medals as Kiran Badloe won the title with 37 net points against Rio Olympic champ Dorian van Rijsselberghe (39) and Thomas Goyard (FRA: 56). Full results here.

Lilian van Geus (NED) won the women’s RS:X title with 42 points and had three wins – including the medal final – to beat Rio 2016 gold medalist Charline Picon (FRA: 51) and Israel’s Noy Drihan (52). Full results here.

● SHOOTING ● USA Shooting got serious with more Olympic Trials events with the Spring Selection Match in Air Pistols in Ft. Benning, Georgia and the Shotgun Spring Selection in Tucson, Arizona.

At Ft. Benning, the women’s 10 m Air Pistol did not have an Olympic quota spot available, but the U.S. has two in the 25 m Sport Pistol. The top two were the same in both: Lexi Lagan and Sandra Uptagrafft. Lagan won the Spring Selection Match with 1,151 points to 1,144 from Katelyn Abeln. But the aggregate of the two stages of the Trials saw Lagan compile 2,294 points to 2,281 for Uptagrafft, with Abeln third at 2,265.

In the 25 m Sport Pistol, Lagan defeated Abeln in the Spring Selection Match again, 1,168-1,152 and both made the team. But Lagan and Uptagrafft were 1-2 in the final total with 2,332 and 2,298, with Abeln the first alternate at 2,281. Tweeted Lagan afterwards: “I still can’t fully comprehend that I am going to the Olympics this year! This is such an amazing journey. I am so excited to see what 2020 has in store for me!”

In the men’s events, the 10 m Air Pistol Spring Selection Match was won by Nick Mowrer (1,165) with James Hall (1,156) and Keith Sanderson third (1,149). The two-stage total had Mowrer and Hall make the Olympic Team, 2,328 and 2,295, with Hunter Battig third (2,288).

Sanderson came back to take the one qualifying spot for the team at 2,315 in the 25 m Sport Pistol; he won the Spring Selection Match at 1,162, ahead of Henry Leverett (1,148). Full results here.

In Tucson, the Shotgun Spring Selection picked the Trap team, where the U.S. has two slots in both men and women. Seth Inman won the three-day match with 191 points, ahead of Brian Burrows (188) and Derrick Mein (185). Mein topped the Olympic selection total, with 428 points, winning over Burrows (424) and Inman (422; alternate).

Kayle Browning and Madelynn Bernau both scored 176 points in the Spring Selection Match, just one ahead of Corey Cogdell-Unrein (175). Browning won the Olympic selection with 408 points, with Bernau (400) second and Ashley Carroll (399) third (alternate). Full results here.

● SNOWBOARD ● The Parallel Giant Slalom was held at Blue Mountain in Canada, with Russian Dmitriy Loginov winning his first event of the season, just ahead of German Stefan Baumeister in the men’s division. Italy’s Roland Fischnaller won the seasonal title by 4,900-3,380 over Austria’s Benjamin Karl.

Ramona Hofmeister (GER) won her sixth event in the Parallel division (out of 10 events) for the season, and wrapped up both the overall Parallel crown and the Parallel Giant Slalom title. Full results here.

● SPEED SKATING ● The ISU World Sprint and Allround Championships were held in Hamar (NOR) with Japan and the Netherlands taking the top honors.

Japanese sprinters won both divisions. Tatsuya Shinhama was second and first in the two 500 m races and first and third in the 1,000 m sprints to compile a total time of 137.465 seconds, 24/100ths ahead of Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil and 0.96 ahead of Min-Kyu Cha (KOR). Miho Takagi won her second World Sprint title in a tight battle with countrywoman Nao Kodaira, 148.870-150.150, with Olga Fatkulina (RUS) third (150.430). Takagi and Kodaira were 1-2 and 2-1 in the 500 m races, but Takagi won both 1,000 m events to clinch the crown. Brittany Bowe of the U.S. finished sixth overall.

The Allround title were won by the Dutch, with Patrick Roest winning his third men’s title (147.880), ahead of Sverre Lunde Pedersen (NOR: 149.277) and Seitaro Ichinohe (JPN: 149.310). Roest won the 1,000 m, 1,500 m, 5,000 m and the 10,000 m to dominate the event. Ireen Wust won her seventh World Allround title in similar fashion, winning the 1,500 m and finishing second in the 5,000 m to finish with a total time of 159.524 to 160.462 for Canada’s Ivanie Blondin and 160.631 for Antoinette de Jong (NED). Full results here.

● SPORT CLIMBING ● The IFSC Pan American Championships were held at the Sender One Climbing facility near the Los Angeles International Airport, with American climbers dominating the men’s event. Colin Duffy (10 points), Zach Galla (16), Zander Waller (18) and Sean Bailey (48) claimed the top four places in the combined program (Speed/Bouldering/Lead).

Canada’s Alannah Yip won the women’s title with 15 points, well ahead of Alejandra Contreras of Chile (36) and American Lauren Bair (also 36) in third. Both Duffy and Yip qualified for the Tokyo Games as winners; further continental qualifiers are still to come. Full results here.

● TABLE TENNIS ● The 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials were on at Santa Monica College, with furious competition for the three spots available to American players for Tokyo. In the men’s competition, Kanak Jha was already qualified for the Games because of his strong world ranking. Going into Sunday’s final three rounds, Zhou Xin and Nikhil Kumar had 4-0 records, with Tom Feng at 3-1. Xin and Kumar both won their first two matches and with 6-0 records, faced off in the final, but both were on the team. Kumar, 17, took the first two sets, 11-8, 11-9 and then Xin tied it with 11-8 and 11-2 wins. But Kumar came back with 11-9 and 11-7 to take the Trials title and joins Jha as teenagers on the American team.

The women’s situation was similar, with Lily Zhang already in via her world ranking. In the Sunday finals, Liu Juan had a 4-0 record going in with three others at 3-1. Liu skipped through her matches to get to the final at 6-0, with Wang Hujing coming in at 5-1 and on the team. The matches were close, but Liu swept the sets by 15-13, 11-9, 11-6 and 13-11.

THE TICKER: Sun sets on China’s star freestyler; Russia vs. WADA timetable get clearer and coronavirus now clearing stadiums worldwide

By
Rich Perelman
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The Court of Arbitration for Sport

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

● Court Watch I: Yang Sun suspended for 8 years ● The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) finally announced its decision in the Yang Sun case, finding the three-time Olympic champion violated the World Anti-Doping Code and imposed an eight-year suspension from international competition.

The heavy sentence was levied because this was Sun’s second doping-rules offense; he had previously been sanctioned in 2014 and the anti-doping rules of the international federation for aquatics (FINA) call for an eight-year ban.

The three-member arbitration panel was unanimous that Sun had violated the FINA rules dealing with “tampering with any part of Doping Control,” noting

“[T]he Athlete failed to establish that he had a compelling justification to destroy his sample collection containers and forego the doping control when, in his opinion, the collection protocol was not in compliance with the ISTI [International Standard for Testing & Investigations]. As the Panel noted, it is one thing, having provided a blood sample, to question the accreditation of the testing personnel while keeping the intact samples in the possession of the testing authorities; it is quite another thing, after lengthy exchanges and warnings as to the consequences, to act in such a way that results in destroying the sample containers, thereby eliminating any chance of testing the sample at a later stage.”

Sun was visited by doping control officers in September 2018 at his home. He did provide a blood sample, but refused to provide a urine sample and questioned the authenticity of the doping-control team. The blood sample was destroyed before the doping-control team left and while the FINA Doping Panel ruled that the collection procedures were invalid, the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed.

It’s worthwhile to note that Sun did not fail any test. In fact, the CAS Panel specifically noted that Sun’s wins at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in the 200 and 400 m Freestyles were not to be invalidated. But not providing a sample is, for him, just as bad as a failed test.

Sun has promised to appeal the CAS decision to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, but his chances there are poor. Now 28, he will not be eligible for another international championship until 2028, when he will be 36.

The Court issued only a news release on the decision on Friday, and stated that the detailed decision would be available soon “unless the parties agree that it should remain confidential.” Let’s hope not.

Interestingly, CAS agreed with another appeal in swimming, but annulled a four-year ban last Thursday on Italian swimmer Filippo Magnini. The Italian national anti-doping organization had found Magnini – based on a criminal investigation into doping by Italian authorities in 2015 – had participated in a “Use or Attempted Use by an Athlete of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method” and banned him for four years. Magnini, now 38 and retired, won the 100 m Free at the 2005 and 2007 World Championships.

● Court Watch II: CAS sets Russia sanctions appeals timeline ●The Russian appeal of the four-year sanction handed out by WADA is now in process at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with a three-member panel named and a large group of “interested parties” getting ready to submit arguments.

With the Tokyo Games coming in late July, the timetable allows for written submissions until the middle of April and a hearing “which will not take place before the end of April 2020.” WADA had asked for the heating to be public, but will not be due to “the absence of an agreement between all parties concerned.” Any doubt as to who objected?

The added parties include the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Russian Olympic Committee, Russian Paralympic Committee, International Ice Hockey Federation and multiple individual Russian athletes (who were not named).

The strategy from the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and other Russian parties has been clear since the WADA decision was confirmed last December: delay, possibly long enough to allow Russian athletes to compete in Tokyo 2020. But if the CAS hearing can be held before the end of April, it’s not unreasonable to expect a decision – an announcement, not the detailed explanation – within a couple of months. That would be around 1 July, before the Olympic Village opens and with insufficient time for an appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

● Athletics ● The drumbeat of doping positives being reported by the Athletics Integrity Unit continues unabated. Within the last week, Kenyan distance runner Kenneth Kiprop Kipkemboi – a 2:05:44 marathoner in 2018 and the 2012 African Champion in the 10,000 m – was charged with testing for a prohibited substance, and Ukranian 800 m runner Nataliia Krol (1:59.70 best) was alleged to have used a prohibited substance.

Moreover, in an interview with the British site Telegraph.com, Brett Clothier (AUS), the AIU chief, said that dopinghas been “rampant” among professional marathoners:

“We did a statistical study that showed that, in 2018, of all the marathon races around the world outside of the six major marathons, something like 70% to 80% of the podium finishers didn’t have any out-of-competition tests in the nine months leading up to the race.

“There was just no testing. Not only that, but the athletes weren’t in a testing pool so they knew no-one was going to test them.”

Clothier said that “Based on what has happened in the past, yes, for sure there will be cases before the Olympics that will shock people.” Stay tuned.

● Coronavirus update ● The continued spread of the coronavirus around the world is impacting events everywhere, with no end in sight. In the past few days:

● Switzerland: The Swissinfo.ch site reported that “Switzerland has imposed a ban on public events that gather more than 1,000 people together in the same place until at least March 15 in response to the coronavirus threat.”

● Italy: The FIS Alpine World Cup Finals scheduled to be held in March in Cortina d’Ampezzo will go on as scheduled, but – for now – without spectators. Multiple league football matches in Serie A and Serie B will also be held without spectators this weekend.

● Korea: The ISU World Short-Track Championships, set to be held in Seoul in mid-March, was canceled last Wednesday. The International Table Tennis Federation postponed its World Championships in Busan from mid-March to late June.

You can follow the worldwide status of the disease on the Johns Hopkins CSSE dashboard here.

● Games of the XXXII Olympiad: Tokyo 2020 ● The chief executive of Discovery, Inc., the parent company of hit U.S. networks like Discovery, TLC, Food Network and the owner of the European rights to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, said on Thursday that even a cancellation of the Games would not impact the company’s financial performance.

The New York Post reported former NBC executive David Zaslav as noting, “It won’t have an adverse impact on financials.” Discovery’s revenue for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $2.87 billion, with net income of $476 million. Eurosport, which is 51% owned by Discovery, bought the pan-European rights to the 2016-18-20-22-24 games for 1.3 billion Euro (~$1.43 billion U.S.) in 2015.

● Vox Populi ● More on our Heard at Halftime column from last Tuesday on the passing of legendary track & field businessman and statistician Dick Bank from Los Angeles-area coach Ron Brumel:

“As one who came of age during the era between, 1960-64, I remember Mr. Bank doing commentary on Wide World of Sports, ABC’s weekly anthology.

“Back then, indoor track was huge, and Jim Beatty, the first indoor sub-4 minute miler, was a main attraction. His races with Tom O’Hara and many others were a weekly draw, and Dick (alongside host Jim McKay), would breathlessly comment on the splits of the race, strategy, and other trivia of track nuttiness.

“As for Mills:

“I first noticed him at the 1963 National XC Championship at Van Courtlandt Park in the Bronx, still (IMO) the classic American XC course, with both rolling and steep hills, and many long stretches upon which to make surging moves.

“It was my first time seeing world class distance runners up close, and me and my track nut friend, Mitch Edison, ran up and down the hills at various angles to catch the runners as they came by different stretches of the course.

“The race was between American Pete McArdle, and young Canadian phenom Bruce Kidd. I’ll never forget the final stretch with those two fighting it out to the end. Honestly, I don’t remember who won, just the battle, and back in third place, an unknown Marine named Billy Mills, maybe a good 100 yards behind the first two.

“Edison pointed him out to me, saying, ‘watch that Mills guy, he ran a great race.’ And of course, the following summer, after being the third American in the 10,000 meters in the Olympic Trials, upset the world at Tokyo.

“Such a great part of American history. Will our high school kids have memories like this, or is the sport forever tainted by professionalism and cheating coaches?

“All of the Mills’s are now out of the East African contingencies, only they’re running unfathomable times as teenagers. So it goes.”

ATHLETICS: Rupp wins as expected, Tuliamuk & Seidel shock in U.S. Marathon Trials in Coldlanta

By
Rich Perelman
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The U.S. Olympic Marathon Team: Seidel, Tuliamuk, Kipyego, Riley, Rupp and Abdirahman (Photo: Atlanta Track Club)

On a difficult, hilly, cold and windy course in downtown Atlanta, Galen Rupp showed that he is the dominant American marathoner at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Saturday afternoon. But who were those American women?

Rupp was the obvious choice in the men’s race and after Brian Shrader broke away from the pack and led for almost all of the first half of the race, Rupp stepped on the gas in the 15th mile and closed the gap, finally taking the lead by the 16-mile mark.

He led a small pack through 19 miles, with Augustus Maiyo, Abdi Abirahman, Leonard Korir and Matt McDonald in close attendance. But a 4:52 mile left Rupp with a 17-second lead at the 21 mile mark and he was never headed.

Even with temperatures in the low 50s and winds gusting to 19 miles per hour, Rupp ran 4:40-4:48-4:52-4:52-4:44-4:50 from miles 18-23 and finished in 2:09:20, winning by 42 seconds. Barring injury, he’s a favorite for medals in Sapporo.

But the fight behind him was epic. The U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program stars Korir and Maiyo were right in the hunt with Abdirahman at 23 miles, but unheralded Jacob Riley, 15th in the 2016 Trials and a Stanford All-American at 10,000 m in 2009-10-11, was making up ground fast.

Riley joined the fight for second by the 24-mile mark, then surged to second at 25 miles and remained in control to the finish. His time of 2:10:02 was not just excellent for the conditions, but was a lifetime best, improving his 2:10:36 from the 2019 Chicago Marathon at just the right time, in just his fourth career marathon.

Abdirahman, at 43, continued his lifetime-of-surprises story by finishing third (2:10:03) and making his fifth Olympic team. Korir finished fourth in 2:10:06. Bernard Lagat, trying for a sixth Olympic team at age 45, was 18th (2:14:23) and Jared Ward, sixth in the Rio Games in 2016, had a bad day, ending up 27th in 2:15:55.

The women’s race was even more surprising. A large pack ran together for the first 20 miles and then the racing started. Nine-time U.S. Champion – at various distances – Aliphine Tulianuk, a former Kenyan who became eligible to run for the U.S. in 2016, led a breakaway group of three, including debut marathoner Molly Seidel and another ex-Kenyan, Sally Kipyego, who won nine NCAA title while at Texas Tech and the 2012 Olympic 10,000 m silver for Kenya.

Tuliamuk and Seidel ran away together and had a 22-second lead after 23 miles and 38 seconds at 24 miles; they were on the team. Kipyego was hurting, but held a steady lead of about 15 seconds over Laura Thweatt and Des Linden, who were trying to get back into contention.

Tuliamuk finally broke Seidel, a four-time NCAA champ for Notre Dame in 2015 and 2016, after the 25-mile mark and cruised in to win in 2:27:23. Seidel followed in 2:27:31 n her debut and Kipyego held on for third in her third career marathon on 2:28:52.

Linden got up for fourth in a creditable 2:29:03 and led a parade of favorites who did not contend for the top three places: Thweatt (5th: 2:29:08), Kellyn Taylor (8th: 2:29:55), and Jordan Hasay (26th: 2:37:57); Molly Huddle dropped out after 21 miles. Transgender athlete Megan Youngren finished in 230th place in 2:50:27. Full results here.

Seidel spoke for all three women when she said afterwards, “I’m still in shock right now.” None will be a medal favorite at the Games, but given the difficult conditions, it’s not hard to imagine one of them pursuing a medal.

In the race’s biggest side story – the shoes – the men’s race was dominated by Nike, with the top three all wearing the Vaporfly/Alphafly models. But for the women, Tuliamuk ran for Hoka One One, Seidel for Saucony and Kipyego for Nike. In fact, Kipyego was the only Nike-affiliated finisher in the top eight.

Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon was held solely for the elite athletes – about 210 – with the mass race of 38,000 canceled due to coronavirus concerns. About 16 men ran together through the first half of the race, and by 30 km, three broke away, with Ethiopians Sisay Lemma, Birhanu Legese and Asefa Mengstu in the lead. Legese ran away from Lemma after 35 km and strode to the finish and finished in an impressive, world-leading 2:04:15.

It was not only Legese’s second straight win in Tokyo, but 33 seconds faster than in 2019!

Belgium’s Bashir Abdi moved up to pass Mengstu with about 3 km remaining, then out-sprinted Lemma to get second in 2:04:49-2:04:51, a lifetime best by almost a minute and a half! Japan’s Suguru Osako not only held onto his Olympic team spot, but ran a national record of 2:05:29 for fourth. Mengstu faded to seventh in 2:06:23.

The women’s race went to ex-Kenyan Lonah Chemtai Salpeter – now running for Israel after marriage to her coach – who opened a decisive gap against Birhane Dibaba (ETH) with about 8 km to go. She was up by 38 seconds at 40 km and cruised in for her first World Marathon Majors victory in a stunning 2:17:45, a world leader and course record that moved her to no. 6 all-time (and the eighth-fastest women’s marathon performance ever)!

After her disappointing failure to finish in the brutal conditions of the 2019 World Championships in Doha (QAT), Salpeter confirmed that she’s one to watch in Sapporo in August.

Ethiopia’s Dibaba finished second in an also-impressive lifetime best 2:18:35, winning her fifth Tokyo Marathon medal in the past seven years. Sutume Asefa Kebede (ETH) was third in 2:20:30. Results of the top finishers are here.

The annual Boston University Last Chance meet, usually aimed at qualifying times for the NCAA Indoor Championships, saw an assault on the American Record n the women’s 3,000 m.

The favorite was speed merchant Shelby Houlihan, who won the 1,500/3,000 m double at the recent U.S. Championships in Albuquerque, but it was former Missouri star (and five-time NCAA Champion) Karissa Schweizer who had the strongest final lap and won in 8:25.70.

That shattered Shalane Flanagan’s 2007 mark of 8:33.25, with Houlihan second at 8:26.66 and Colleen Quigley third in 8:28.71, all under the old mark. Schweizer’s time moves her to no. 5 on the all-time world list, with Houlihan now seventh and Quigley ninth.

In the women’s 5,000 m, German Konstanze Klosterhalfen won easily in an impressive 14:30.79, now no. 4 on the all-time list and a national indoor record. American Vanessa Fraser was second in 14:48.51, now no. 10 on the all-time world list and no. 2 in American history. Emily Infeld ran 14:54.91 in third, now no. 3 all-time U.S.

The men’s 1,500 m saw the surprise of the indoor season, Josh Thompson, run 3:34.77 to win and claim a lifetime best – indoors or out – and improve his indoor best by almost three seconds.

The men’s 3,000 m was also speedy, with Lopez Lomong winning in 7:37.74 to move to no. 6 all-time U.S., ahead of Ryan Hill (7:38.03) and a comebacking Evan Jager (7:38.25, for no. 7 all-time U.S.).

Full results here.

LANE ONE: The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo will not be canceled or postponed, but could be the quietest ever

By
Rich Perelman
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An almost-empty arena in Barcelona, Spain (Photo: Staffan Cedarborg via Flicker)

This week’s headlines were all about comments from the senior member of the International Olympic Committee – not its President – that this summer’s Tokyo Games could be so deeply impacted by the coronavirus outbreak that the event could be canceled.

Canada’s Dick Pound, a 1960 Olympian in swimming and the 1962 Commonwealth Games champion in the 110-yard Freestyle, was elected to the IOC in 1978 and at 77, is its longest-serving member. A highly-respected lawyer, he was Chancellor of McGill University for 10 years, the first President of the World Anti-Doping Agency and a lot more. He is a keen observer and analyst of international sport, and when he speaks, it’s worth listening.

On Tuesday, he spoke to the Associated Press about the impact of the coronavirus situation and, was – as always – direct:

“In and around that time [end of May], I’d say folks are going to have to ask: ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo or not?’”

He suggested that given the complexity of the event, cancellation was much more likely than postponement:

“You just don’t postpone something on the size and scale of the Olympics. There’s so many moving parts, so many countries and different seasons, and competitive seasons, and television seasons. You can’t just say, `We’ll do it in October.’”

As for the athletes, Pound was reassuring:

“As far as we all know, you’re going to be in Tokyo. All indications are at this stage that it will be business as usual. So keep focused on your sport and be sure that the IOC is not going to send you into a pandemic situation.”

Was he speaking out of turn? Apparently not.

There was no statement repudiating his comments from the IOC headquarters in Lausanne; in fact, the respected AroundTheRings.com Web site received a comment from the IOC Press Office which (translated from Spanish) noted:

“Dick Pound explains very well that the IOC continues to work towards the successful Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games from the end of July” and that “Preparations continue as planned.”

All true.

Gov. Yuriko Koike, head of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government – which has sunk more money into the event than any other entity – told reporters “I have emails from IOC members in charge of the Tokyo Games telling me to work hard in preparing for the event. The metropolitan government will pursue measures against the virus.”

The reality is that the coronavirus is a major problem in China and less of a problem – so far – elsewhere. Click here to see a terrific “dashboard” view of the coronavirus impact compiled by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering. As of Wednesday evening, it showed 82,163 confirmed cases, with 78,497 in China, 1595 in South Korea and, so far, 189 in Japan. In addition to 2,800 deaths worldwide, there are also 32,828 reported recoveries, so it’s not all bad news.

There has been plenty of speculation on what might happen to the 2020 Games if the virus spread – in a serious way – to Japan. Koike dismissed a comment from London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey that London could take over the Games, and others have suggested Los Angeles as a possible location, given the enormous sporting infrastructure already in place.

Neither could happen and neither will happen. The 2020 Games will take place in Tokyo, but the impact could be severe.

As for London, Los Angeles or elsewhere, it’s too late to put together anything resembling an Olympic Games as the facilities, hotels and especially the athlete housing – at UCLA in Los Angeles – is all spoken for well in advance, for summer school, camps, conferences and the like. And Pound made it clear that spreading the events around the world on a sport-by-sport basis creates a series of world championships, not an Olympic Games.

If – and it’s only if the virus becomes a real public health threat – you could see a solution to the problem that is already being implemented in Japan, and elsewhere:

No spectators.

On Wednesday, Nippon Professional Baseball – Japan’s major league – announced that its teams would play its remaining 72 pre-season games without any spectators. “This was a bitter decision to make. Because we can’t determine the situation, I won’t say anything right now about (opening day),” said NPB commissioner Atsushi Saito. “If possible, we all want to go ahead on March 20.”

Japan’s governing bodies for boxing, rugby and soccer have all postponed matches, waiting to see how the health situation develops. Many events are being canceled elsewhere, including in Iran, Italy and South Korea.

Having an Olympic Games without spectators would not only be lonely, but crushing for the Japanese public, which has clamored for tickets in unprecedented numbers. For the Tokyo organizing committee, ticketing revenue was budgeted at $800 million U.S. (converted from yen), in a total budget of $5.9 billion, and would create a substantial shortfall, even after some savings from not having spectators.

A dead arena is also no fun for the athletes, whose lifelong dream of competing in an Olympic Games will be turned dull and sterile without a live crowd (even if there is cheering via sound effects).

But in a no-win scenario, having the Games is much better than not having it. The international news media would be accommodated – especially television – and the necessary sports officials would participate. But eliminating the mass gathering of spectators and others would significantly reduce virus fears; for example, the annual Tokyo Marathon scheduled for 1 March announced recently that only the elite field of about 200 would participate, eliminating the race for the 37,000+ registrants.

There will be problems all around – what about the Olympic Village? – and even the IOC’s wealth will be insufficient to make everyone whole. It will be a mess … but much better than seeing a public health crisis exacerbated by the world’s largest sporting event beginning 24 July (and followed by the Paralympics on 25 August).

Likely? Certainly not at this point. Possible? Only if the virus comes much more of an issue in Japan than it is now. But unless the situation turns into a lethal pandemic, the Games will go on. But possibly, rather quietly.

Rich Perelman
Editor

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(Thanks to reader Greg Cornell for catching a typo!)

HEARD AT HALFTIME: U.S. Marathon Trials coming Saturday; World Baseball Classic sites revealed; more Russian doping

By
Rich Perelman
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News, views and noise from the non-stop, worldwide circus of Olympic sport (updated):

● Vox Populi ● We received several reader comments on recent stories, including:

● On Mike Moran’s 20 February remembrance of the 1980 Winter Olympic “Miracle on Ice,” Jim Anderson was one of several readers who noted:

“The REAL MIRACLE ON ICE happened in 1960 at Squaw Valley not 1980. The American squad was made up of amateurs, not future NHL players. I know because I was there as part of the press corps.”

● On Monday’s Lane One, outlining the in-depth, $217 million offer made by USA Gymnastics to more than 500 abuse survivors, Jaime Lapides wrote:

“Hello. The Army of Survivors will not surrender. They will march forward and seek justice from all parties including the USOPC, the Karolyis’, and others. Nassar Survivors have more resolve and heart than you give them credit for. They will not be agreeing to the insult USA Gymnastics added to injury. Neither are they naïve anymore. The deeper pockets are beyond USA Gymnastics. Raped athletes anticipate greater restitution from those deeper pockets. That said, shortchanging the Nassar Survivors is a deadly error. This will decimate USA Gymnastics. Less than 100 individual claims alone could amount to the money which the settlement offered. If decertification does not extinguish USA Gymnastics first, then piecemeal lawsuits will. The demise of USA Gymnastics is inevitable.”

These are, of course, the opinions of these writers only.

Click here for our summary of last weekend’s action, including a World Championships gold medal for Americans Kaille Humphries and Lauren Gibbs, two world records in Athletics, in the women’s indoor triple jump and the women’s half marathon on the roads, and a lot more.

● Athletics ● The U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials comes this Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia and will be shown on NBC beginning at noon Eastern time. The men are scheduled to start at 12:08 p.m. and the women at 12:20 p.m.

More than 700 men and women qualified for the event, and the top three are expected to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Marathon in Sapporo (JPN) this summer. Prize money of $80,000-65,000-55,000-20,000-10,000-6,000-3,000-1,000 is available to the top eight finishers in each gender.

One of the women’s favorites would have been Amy Cragg, who won the 2017 World Championships bronze medal (and was a 2016 Olympian), but she is reported to be out due to illness. That leaves Des Linden as the only 2016 women’s Olympian in the race, and she will be tested by – among others – Sara Hall, Jordan Hasay, Kellyn Taylor, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Stephanie Bruce and a lot of others.

The men’s race includes Rio 2016 bronze medalist Galen Rupp and sixth-placer Jared Ward, plus Leonard Korir, Dathan Ritzenhein, Scott Fauble and two amazing veterans: Abdi Abdirahman, trying for his fifth Olympic team at age 43, and Bernard Lagat (45), trying for a fourth U.S. team and a sixth Olympics (his first two were for Kenya).

There was yet another doping positive from the 2012 London Games announced by the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday, by Albanian 200 m runner Klodiana Shala. She never actually competed, withdrawing from the competition with an injury prior to the heats, but her sample was re-analyzed and detected the steroid Stanozolol.

This brings the total number of doping positives at London 2012 to 73, the most in history and one more than from Beijing 2008. Nine positives were found during the Games and 64 in the IOC’s re-analysis program, which will not be completed until 2022.

Sad news of the death of two legendary figures in the sport, Dick Bank and Harry Groves.

Bank passed on Sunday (23rd) in Los Angeles, aged 90, and even after decades from retirement from active participation in the sport, remains a legend for his depth of knowledge, insight and brutal wit. While he was famously remembered for his “Look at Mills!” comment on NBC during Billy Mills’s historic run to the 10,000 m gold medal at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he also was deeply involved in building the adidas brand in the 1960s as a representative for the German shoe company. American audiences in 1969 and 1970 heard Bank often during the spring and summer as the (solo) voice of a series of meets on CBS, brokered with Ollan Cassell of the Amateur Athletic Union of the U.S.

Bank recalled the ‘64 Olympic announcing in detail in a post on TrackandFieldNews.com in 2015 that he dictated to his friend Arthur Head. In it, he reminded everyone who might have met him that he was still their superior:

“It has come to my attention that there are some postings about me on the Internet. I don’t own a computer . . . nor do I want or need one. Mine is between my ears.

“I still type on an IBM Wheelwriter 1000, drive a 1989 Volvo 240GL with 299,000 miles, and do not have nor do I need a cellular telephone; or one that can take photographs.” Absolutely one of a kind.

Groves was the beloved coach at Penn State for both cross country and track and also passed on Sunday, aged 89. Groves became the head coach of both programs in 1968 and continued until his retirement in 2006. He was a five-time National Coach of the Year, inducted into the U.S. Track & Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001 and was the head coach for the 1995 U.S. World Championships team and an assistant coach for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team and 1993 Worlds team.

He coached 21 NCAA champions, 14 Olympians and 227 NCAA All-Americans during his career, including 1976 Olympic 400 m hurdles silver medalist Mike Shine, Greg Fredericks, the American Record holder in the 10,000 m in 1972, Norwegian discus star Knut Hjeltnes and U.S. shot putter C.J. Hunter. Groves was demanding and stern, but also a gentlemen to all who approached him … except during a race!

● Baseball ● The most exciting baseball tournament outside of the Major League playoffs is the World Baseball Classic and the format for the 2021 tournament was announced on Tuesday.

The tournament will be held from 9-23 March of next year with the field expanded to 20 teams, competing in four pools of five teams each. The rounds will be played in three countries:

● Pool A: Taiching and Taoyuan (TPE)
● Pool B: Tokyo (JPN)
● Pool C: Phoenix, Arizona
● Pool D: Miami, Florida
● Quarterfinals: Tokyo and Miami
● Semifinals and Final: Miami

All 16 teams which participated in the 2017 tournament will do so again, along with four qualifiers from a tournament to be held in March 2020.

● Biathlon ● The International Biathlon Union issued two doping decisions concerning Russian athletes based on the data retrieved by the World Anti-Doping Agency from the Moscow Laboratory information system in 2019.

Both Svetlana Sleptsova and Evgeny Ustyugov were found to have committed doping violations in 2013 and had their results from mid-2013 through the 2013-14 World Cup season annulled.

For Ustyugov, this will also disqualify the winning Russian 4×7.5 km team from 2014. If confirmed by the IOC, the Russian total in Sochi will drop to 28, placing them in a tie with the U.S. for the most medals in that Games.

Both are now ineligible for two years, which will also cover the first half of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Sleptsova retired in 2017; Ustiugov retired in 2014.

● Swimming ● The doping saga of China’s Olympic Champion Freestyle star Yang Sun is continuing without end.

He was cleared by FINA – the international federation for swimming – of doping violations including interfering with a test in September 2018. However, the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the FINA ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport last November, with the decision expected in January, but still not issued.

The Associated Press posted a story on Tuesday that noted that a Swiss “federal court document shows that swimming governing body FINA supported arguments by Sun’s lawyers to have an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency thrown out early last year in a pre-trial dispute over an alleged conflict of interest for the agency’s lead prosecutor, American lawyer Richard Young.” Young had previously been a member of FINA’s Legal Commission, but had resigned in February of 2019, prior to the hearing.

● Games of the XXXV Olympiad 2032 ● Remember that petition by a single Member of Parliament in Australia to call for a debate on the wisdom of bidding for the 2032 Olympic Games?

The tiny One Nation party posted the petition at the end of January and garnered 2,300 signatures in the first three days. Since then, the enthusiasm has slowed, but signatures continue to come in. As of Tuesday, some 5,393 signatures have been registered, with a deadline of 30 March. Stay tuned.

● XXII Commonwealth Games: Birmingham 2022 ● Better make that the Birmingham, and Chandigarh in India – population 1.05 million – as the Commonwealth Games Foundation approved India’s proposal to stage (and pay for) archery and shooting events on Monday (24th).

India had threatened to skip the 2022 Games if shooting was not included and agreed to hold the two sports in January 2022, with the main event in Birmingham (ENG) in July.

Although separated by six months, the medals from the January competitions will be included in the overall totals. Chalk up another ripple effect for the IOC’s Agenda 2020 program, but this time for political, rather than cost, reasons.

● At the BuZZer ● Very few people outside of the Middle East had ever heard of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates or Doha in Qatar before both became hotbeds for major sporting events, to be topped by the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Add Jordan to the list of countries who see opportunities in hosting sporting events. The capital of Amman took over for Wuhan (CHN) for the Asian qualifier for boxing for the 2020 Olympic Games in March and has announced and host Olympic qualifiers in table tennis in February and taekwondo in April.

The Jordanian organizers of the boxing qualifier announced on Tuesday that it had sponsor agreements with Coca-Cola, the Societe Generale De Banque Jordan, mobile network Zain Jordan, restaurant chain Buffalo Wings & Rings, Taishan and courier company Aramex.

It’s an interesting strategic turn for Jordan, a country far larger than either Qatar or the UAE, although smaller than Saudi Arabia, which has also looked for some hosting opportunities. It will be fascinating to see what the appetite is to being world-wide events – rather than regional – to the country in the future, especially as a tourism draw.

Look what sports has done for Lausanne (SUI), which last week agreed to take over the hosting of the annual SportAccord meeting from 19-24 April, with more than 100 international federations in attendance. The event was moved out of Beijing due to concerns over the coronavirus epidemic in China, and follows quickly on January’s Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, with a co-hosting of the IIHF men’s World Championships coming in May.

/Updated: Thanks to TrackandFieldNews.com’s Garry Hill for correcting our link on Dick Bank’s recollection of his 1964 Olympic announcing episode, which first appeared on the T&FN site on 14 August 2015./

THE BIG PICTURE: BBC catches four-time Olympic champ Farah in lie on supplements

By
Rich Perelman
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Former Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar

Here’s what 2017 Steeplechase World Champion Emma Coburn of the U.S. had to say about Monday’s BBC documentary about Britain’s four-time Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah:

The BBC Panorama program was titled, “Mo Farah and the Salazar Scandal” and focused on Farah’s time with now-suspended American coach Alberto Salazar at the Nike Oregon Project, between 2011 and 2017.

An investigation by the BBC and U.S. site ProPublica in 2015 resulted in allegations published in June of that year in a story with the top-line teaser “Chasing An Edge.” That describes Salazar – and many other coaches in other sports – perfectly.

The story led to an inquiry by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency into the Nike Oregon Project that eventually turned into a suspension for promoting doping for Salazar and a physician who assisted the program; the suspension was confirmed in 2019 by a three-member panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Salazar continues to claim innocence and has appealed the CAS decision to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

USADA investigated athletes coaches by Salazar – including Farah – but found no doping violations; the World Anti-Doping Agency has also undertaken a review of these athletes, egged on by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER).

The BBC Panorama program does not allege doping by Farah, but found out that he was caught by USADA when asked about taking injections of L-carnitine, a supplement which is allowed if administered in doses of less than 50 ml every six hours. From the BBC’s story on the program:

“Documents show Farah repeatedly denied to US Anti-Doping (Usada) investigators he had received injections of the controversial supplement L-carnitine before the 2014 London Marathon.

“Farah later changed his account to Usada investigators, saying he had forgotten.”

The story also notes that the dosage was 13.5 ml, well below the limit, so the issue is not doping, but Farah saying he didn’t take it … and then admitting he did.

There’s more and more detail coming out about Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project, which was formed in 2001 and only disbanded last year after the CAS ruling against Salazar.

And USADA chief Travis Tygart gave credit to the news media for helping to fill in the details:

“In pursuit of doping violations, Tygart says Nike tried to block him at every turn.

“‘Every time we turned around, another athlete was being represented by a Nike attorney and refused to cooperate with us,” he said.

“‘The Nike castle brought up the drawbridge, they put alligators in the moat around it, sharpshooters on the tower, and they were going to do pretty much everything they legally felt they could do to avoid us getting to the truth.

“‘In this case in particular the BBC and Panorama, exposing parts of the truth, were really helpful.’”

Nike denies this charge, but South African Science of Sport podcast co-founder Ross Tucker complained on Twitter about the British anti-doping agency (UKAD):

“Last to the buffet, every time. The simple fact (not for the first time either) is that if you’re an athlete under suspicion of doping, you would FAR rather be investigated by your own antidoping agency than by the media. If that isn’t a call for reform/restructuring, nothing is.”

In the meantime, the BBC further noted that the U.S. Center for SafeSport is looking into Salazar’s management of the Nike Oregon Project. This isn’t over.

Farah continues to train, with his sights set on the 10,000 m at the Tokyo Games this summer, an event in which he is the two-time defending champion. His use of L-carnitine in 2014 was within the legal limits for that supplement, so he is not accused of doping, but he is being watched closely now and will no doubt be tested continuously between now and the summer.

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