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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Association of Summer Olympic International Federations ● The ASOIF Strategy 2026-32 plan was unveiled, with new President Ingmar De Vos (BEL-equestrian) explaining:
“[T]he new strategy takes a more deliberate and forward-looking approach. It maintains ASOIF’s core purpose while sharpening its focus. Greater emphasis is given to collaboration and influence, with the purpose of championing the role of the IF whilst also protecting the jurisdiction and mandate of the IF.”
The primary objectives include collective representation of International Federations interests in the Olympic Movement, to “establishment of a clear and objective process and methodology for determining the Olympic Games Sport Programme” as well as “[c]larify Olympic Games revenue distribution based upon transparent and objective criteria” and better information-sharing between federations.
At the core: more money for the IFs from the International Olympic Committee and more say on what sports and events are included in the Games (which then impacts revenue sharing).
● Enhanced Games ● The latest athlete to sign with the Enhanced Games is British sprinter Reese Prescod, 29, who last competed in 2024. He had a best of 9.93 in 2022, but managed only 10.00 in 2024; he was a member of three British Worlds teams and a Tokyo 2020 Olympian.
● Athletics ● World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe (GBR) visited Jamaica and pledged an additional $100,000 support to help rebuild facilities in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, for
“programme support focused on ensuring athletes from the impacted western side of the island can continue to train and compete in regional and global championships, including the CARIFTA Games in Grenada in April and the World Athletics U20 Championships in Oregon, USA, in August.
“Our funding will be allocated to areas such as transport and accommodation to ensure impacted athletes have access to facilities for training and competition, and replacement of equipment, rather than infrastructure, considering that this is a local and national government responsibility.”
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The Athletics Integrity Unit suspended Mercyline Chelangat (UGA) for five years for testosterone use from 10 October 2025. Now 28, she is a 1:08:27 half-marathoner (2022) and 2:24:12 marathoner from 2023.
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● Activist Ukrainian (and two-time Olympian) skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych posted a broadside against the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation on Thursday for admission of Russian “neutrals” which he believes are, in fact, supporting the war against Ukraine:
● “Today, during the European Cup stage in skeleton, the Ukrainian national team, together with the teams from Latvia and Sweden, held a protest against the participation of so-called “neutral” athletes whom the IBSF has admitted to competitions.”
● “Our national team has every moral right to this protest. These young Ukrainian athletes have gone through real hell, and our entire country continues to endure it due to russia’s full-scale invasion. At the same time, the majority of the admitted “neutral” athletes support the war against Ukraine in one way or another (examples in the thread).”
● “Olympic sport is always politics, and russian sport is one of the key instruments of russian propaganda. Anyone who does not understand this is either consciously supporting russia’s actions against Ukraine or simply refusing to see reality.”
He ended with:
“The Bobsleigh Federation of russia remains a member of the IBSF despite gross violations of the Olympic Charter: recognizing Ukraine’s occupied territories as russian and spreading propagandist symbolism. For similar violations, the russian Olympic Committee was suspended by the IOC. Why the IBSF acts differently is unclear to us.
“The Bobsleigh Federation of russia must be suspended, and all athletes involved in supporting the war must be barred from competitions.”
● Football ● The expected rush of friendly matches in the U.S. ahead of this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup started Thursday with qualifiers Brazil, France, Croatia and Colombia announcing dates in March:
● 26 March: Brazil vs. France at Foxborough, Ma.
● 26 March: Croatia vs. Colombia at Orlando, Fl.
● 29 March: Colombia vs. France at Landover, Md.
● 31 March: Brazil vs. Croatia at Orlando, Fl.
The promoters include Unified Events, Florida Citrus Sports, Pitch International, Lions Sports & Media and Cardenas Media Network. Only the 26 March match with Brazil and France is at a World Cup site.
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The inquiry into betting by Turkish football referees and officials is deepening as 212 more individuals were referred to the Professional Football Discipline Committee, including 108 coaches and team staff and 104 football agents.
All of the coaches have been temporarily suspended, with the inquiry now focused on individuals who were involved in the country’s professional leagues during the previous five years and placed bets during that time.
In October 2025, an investigation reported 371 of 571 match officials in Turkey had active betting accounts and 152 had been betting on football matches.
● Freestyle Skiing ● French Olympic women’s Big Air silver medalist Tess Ledeux is out of the Milan Cortina Winter Games due to a concussion suffered last March. A World Champion in both Big Air and Slopestyle, she wrote in a Friday social post:
“With the help of the medical staff, I have made the decision to draw a line under my season. Probably the hardest decision of my life. … This choice is difficult, almost impossible to accept. It feels unfair.”
Ledeux, still just 24, has suffered from continuing dizziness, fatigue and headaches since then. She said she will be looking forward to a Winter Games in her own country at French Alps 2030.
● Snowboard ● U.S. women’s Halfpipe star Chloe Kim posted a video on Instagram Thursday with bad news:
“I’m here in Switzerland and on my second day of training, I took the silliest fall … and that ultimately resulted in my dislocating my shoulder. Just so fun.
“Trying to stay really optimistic. I think I don’t have much clarity right now because I haven’t gotten an MRI yet, but that’s scheduled for tomorrow. … So yeah just trying to stay really optimistic, but I feel really good about where my snowboarding is at right now so I know that the minute I get cleared and I’m good to go, it should be fine.
“I’m just hoping that it doesn’t take too long. But I’m going to be chilling for the next little while. So if you have any recs on how I should kill all this time that I have, please let me know.”
She appeared to hurt her left shoulder and said she is “not in that much pain” and that she has range of movement. She added in the text column:
“trying to stay positive through these moments so difficult. I have gone through so many waves of emotions I literally have a migraine. The only thing I can do is rest/do everything in my power to come back as soon as possible. thank you all for supporting me on this wild journey! will keep you posted 🙂 p.s I think I am getting old”
She’s 25.
● Swimming ● The International Swimming Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2026:
“Swimmers Nathan Adrian (USA), László Cseh (HUN) and Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED); Open Water Swimmer Ferry Weertman (NED); Diver Tania Cagnotto (ITA); Water Polo Player Simone Fountain (AUS); Artistic Swimmer Heather Simmons-Carrasco (USA); Masters Swimmer Richard Burns (USA); Coach Jane Figueiredo (ZIM); Contributor Stephen A. “Sid” Cassidy (USA); and Paralympian Beatrice Hess (FRA).”
Adrian won five Olympic golds in the men’s sprints and relays, including the London 2012 men’s 100 m Free; Cseh won four Olympic silvers and two bronzes in the 200-400 m Medley and the 100-200 m Butterfly, and Kromowidjojo won Olympic golds in the 50-100 m Frees in 2012 and the 4×100 Free relay in 2008.
She married Weertman, the 2016 Olympic men’s 10 km open-water champion in 2022. Simmons-Carrasco was a member of the American gold-medal team at the Atlanta 1996 Games.
They will be inducted on 16 May at the ISHOF in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
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For our updated, 45-sport, 910-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
