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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2036 ● A new bidder for the 2036 Olympic Games or a later Games, ha emerged out of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games: a joint bid from the Piedmont, Lombardy, and Liguria regions together with the cities of Turin, Milan and Genoa.
The idea is to once again maximize the use of existing facilities, this time for an Olympic Games, but with a widespread geographical footprint. This is the second possible 2036 bid from Italy, with Rome also interested. Both will have to coordinate with the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and then begins discussions with the International Olympic Committee, which already has a variety of interested countries at the table.
● Athletics ● The Grand Slam Track bankruptcy process is continuing, with the voting concluded on the proposed reorganization plan, paying about 70% of about $7.0 million in athlete claims and 14-16% of the $12.9 million in claims from unsecured vendors.
With the agreement to the revised plan by the unsecured-creditors committee, the proposal votes passed easily: 123-0 among the athletes, 16 of whom opted to be re-classified as unsecured creditors, and 23-1 among the unsecured creditors (and get less money), most of whom did not vote.
A motion to therefore approve the plan will be presented in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware on Thursday (16th) and is expected to be approved.
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“You want to reach a certain level when you compete. That’s why there will be no races in May and June – that’s pretty clear. There will be nothing at the Bislett Games [10 June]. I don’t know when he’ll be ready after that either.”
That’s Daniel Wessfeldt (SWE), the manager for Norwegian distance star Jakob Ingebrigtsen, still on the mend from Achilles surgery. Speaking with the Norwegian paper Verdens Gang, he added:
“It’s about how training goes at the end of April and into May. It could progress quickly and he could regain fitness, and then it might be possible to compete in the second part of the season. …
“He cannot risk anything at the start of the season. The signs are very positive when you see how relaxed Jakob is when he is not in pain.
“He has now had an operation that went well, but it takes time to build up the volume of training required to reach that level. If everything continues to go well, he could be very strong in the latter part of the season.”
If he regains fitness, Ingebrigtsen will target the 1,500/5,000 m double at the European Championships in Birmingham (GBR) in August. Ingebrigtsen was hurt at the end of March of 2025 and tried to race at the 2025 Worlds, but was eliminated in the 1,500 m heats and was 10th in the 5,000 m.
● Fencing ● Another expansion for USA Fencing, with a new program to introduce the fundamentals of fencing into elementary, middle and high schools across the U.S.
The “En Garde! Fencing” project uses foam foils and video-based instruction to teach the sport, with the program building so that participants can continue past high school into local fencing clubs across the nation. And:
“The entire program is provided at no cost to participating schools. Equipment is included. The curriculum is easy to follow. And USA Fencing support is built in from the start.”
The key to advancing a sport in the U.S. is to start in schools. Fencing is now there.
● Football ● The U.S. women faces world no. 5 Japan in Seattle in the second of three matches in a week at 7 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday; the results will be added to this post once available.
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On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council approved by 15-0 a package of motions to authorize $81,024 across four Council districts for “staffing, security, equipment, programming, and related operational costs to support FIFA World Cup Community Celebration events.”
Districts 2, 3, 6 and 14 each received $20,256 for the programs. In addition, street banners were approved for placement by the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission at Los Angeles International Airport, in the downtown Los Angeles area and at Exposition Park, site of the largest of the planned fan festivals.
Banners were also approved on a 15-0 vote for Council member Adrin Nazarian’s District 2, promoting two watch parties in the North Hollywood area on 26-27 June.
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U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker (WAL) resigned on Tuesday, and will be hired for a similar position by the Saudi Arabian football federation. He joined USSF in April 2023 and oversaw the hiring of coaches Mauricio Pochettino (ARG) for the men’s program and Emma Hayes (ENG) for the women.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming up quickly, no replacement will be immediately named.
● Gymnastics ● The Louisville Courier-Journal reported that the 22,090-seat KFC Yum! Center in Louisville will host the USA Gymnastics Olympic Trials from 16-19 June 2028. The formal announcement is expected on Wednesday (15th) at a news conference at the Churchill Downs race track.
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