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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Asian Games 2026: Aichi-Nagoya ● The Olympic Council of Asia approved the program for the 2026 Asian Games, with 10,000 athletes to compete in 41 sports – five more than the LA28 Olympic Games – and 460 events (compared to 351 in Los Angeles in 2028).
Compared to the 36-sport LA28 program, the Asian Games will also include breaking, combat sports (3), esports, kabaddi, karate, sepak takraw and wushu. LA28 added sports Flag football and lacrosse are not on the Aichi-Nagoya program.
The OCA also agreed to elections for a new president at its Congress in January 2026, as 78-year-old Raja Randhir Singh (IND) – elected in 2024 – has been in ill health and is unable to fulfill the office. The election will be only for the remainder of his term. Qatar Olympic Committee head Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani instantly announced his candidacy.
● World University Games ● The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 World University Games opened on Wednesday in front of a full house at the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena in Duisburg. About 8,000 athletes representing more than 2,000 universities are slated to compete in 18 sports and 234 events.
The Universiade flame was brought into the arena by German legend Heide Rosendahl-Ecker, now 78, the 1972 Olympic double gold medalist and handed to six younger athletes who lit the six Games “fire towers.”
On Thursday, Eva Eun-kyung Sandersen (DEN) won the first event of the Games, in the women’s Poomsae-Individual Freestyle in taekwondo. The Games will continue through the 27th.
● Athletics ● Nigeria’s Favour Ofili, the former LSU star and Paris women’s Olympic 200 m sixth-placer in 2024, is reported to be changing her affiliation to Turkey. Former Nigerian star Olusoji Fasuba, who ran 9.85 for the then-African men’s 100 m record in 2006, told Britain-based SportsBoom that the issue is not money, but support:
“We’ve got to remove this idea that it’s always about money. It’s about treatment. When athletes feel neglected or disrespected, they lose their connection to the system, and that’s when they leave.
“If you want loyalty, you need to treat people like they matter. Give them reason to believe they’re part of something. It’s not about grand gestures two weeks before a national competition; it’s about consistent, meaningful support.
“Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and Qatar all have better programs in place. These countries sell stability, structure, and care. Until we match that, we will keep losing our best people.”
He explained further:
“Start with structure. Create real programs-not just cheques and camps before major events. If you do that, athletes with dual nationalities will start choosing Nigeria again. But right now, what’s the incentive?
“If we keep papering over the cracks, we’ll lose an entire generation. It’s not about blaming athletes. It’s about creating something they want to be a part of.”
Ofili, just 22, has bests of 10.87 (this year) and 21.96 from 2022 and figures to be a contender for top honors for years to come.
● Cycling ● In warm conditions of 86 F or more, three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar put his stamp on the 2025 edition with a crushing victory in Thursday’s 12th stage, a challenging, 180.6 km ride with two major climbs that finished uphill at the Hautacam ski resort in the Pyrenees.
Pogacar blew away the field over the final, uphill 11 km, winning the stage in 4:21:19, a full 2:10 ahead of two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) and 2:23 up on Florian Lipowitz (GER). With race leader Ben Healy (IRL) back in 25th, Pogacar re-assumed the race lead with a 3:31 margin on Vingegaard and 4:45 on Remco Evenepoel (BEL).
Pogacar will also be a strong contender in Friday’s short, 10.9 km, uphill Individual Time Trial, before two more climbing stages on Saturday (182.6 km) and Sunday (169.3 km). If Pogacar really is stronger than all the others, the race could be decided by Sunday.
¶
The Associated Press reported that “Tour de France riders applauded for a minute before the 12th stage on Thursday in memory of Samuele Privitera, the 19-year-old Italian who died after a crash while racing in Italy the day before.
“Privitera crashed in the first stage of the Tour of Valle D’Aosta in the northwestern municipality of Pontey on Wednesday.”
● Swimming ● Italy’s Ginerva Taddeucci, the Paris bronzer and Worlds women’s 10 km silver winner, expressed her frustrations after her race, telling Il Fatto Quotidiano:
“We were very angry, Greg [Paltrinieri] and I were saying how disrespectful they were to postpone a race … a bit like what happened to the men, and without them ever mentioning the water problems, especially a year after the Seine [in Paris].
“With the temperatures, World Aquatics always gives us problems, either too cold for wetsuits, or too hot. I hope something changes with the election of the athletes’ representative; many things need to change, it’s all wrong.”
Paltrinieri suffered a fractured left ring finger during the 10 km race, where he also won silver, and will while he can tape it to compete in the 5 km, he cannot race in the pool with any kind of tape; he will return to Italy for treatment.
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