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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 1976: Montreal ● Exactly 50 years to the day that the Montreal Games opened – 17 July – the Province of Quebec announced that the Stade Olympique will be modernized, with new seating areas, premium seats, new concessions and restrooms and a tighter configuration of the lower bowl, moving in as much as 90 feet (meaning a track will no longer fit inside).
The renovation will benefit the CF Montreal franchise in Major League Soccer and is expected to be completed in 2028. The total cost has not been finalized, and a renovation of the venue’s signature roof is continuing, at a cost of C$870 million ($C1 = $0.71 U.S.).
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● LAist reported that some 2028 Olympic ticket buyers received small refunds, due to taxes which were erroneously added to the price of tickets for events at the Intuit Dome (refund amounts generally under $11) and for preliminary football matches in Columbus, Ohio (generally under $40).
● International Olympic Committee ● Britain’s The Guardian reported that the IOC will not sanction Gianni Infantino (SUI), the FIFA President, who has been an IOC member since 2020.
A complaint filed by the activist FairSquare organization insisted that Infantino violated the political neutrality requirements of the IOC when he referred a request for leniency on the red card issued to U.S. striker Falorin Balogun during the USA-Bosnia & Herzegovina playoff game to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, following a request from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Guardian’s source explained that the IOC does not want to be in the position of telling independent sports federations how they should be interpreting their own rules.
● Athletics ● Britain’s Josh Kerr was more than thrilled, but also satisfied with his 3:42.66 world mile record at the London Diamond League on Saturday:
“It is very overwhelming. There was a lot of hype. I am surrounded by amazing people, so I have continued to put the work in, so I knew I had a 3:42 in me. I nearly lost it there at the end, but I got over the line. If I am to leave my mark on the sport, as a British athlete with the legends I have behind me, to follow in those footsteps, I have to deliver those performances.
“Those performances take every part of you, every part of your team. Out there, I am just the body, but there is an incredible amount of work behind the scenes. Today is a result of all that hard work. I am lucky to be able to string the training together. It felt like I had a kitchen full of incredible chefs, and they are like, what the heck are we going to make, and this is the dish I want to make, so lets go to work and get the world record. The last lap was incredible. I was deaf in the last 110 meters.”
The U.S. got five wins in London, including a dominant 12.89 in the men’s 110 m hurdles from world-record holder Ja’Kobe Tharp:
“I knew if I could execute, it was going to be a bad day for everybody else. No race is ever perfect but I was happy enough with how I ran. I was soaking up the atmosphere, I love racing in front of big crowds, so it definitely helped me.”
The shocker came from 2025 NCAA champ Cierra Jackson in the women’s disc, winning over Olympic and World Champion Valarie Sion on her final throw and a lifetime best of 71.72 m (235-4), and now no. 15 all-time:
“I texted my coach before and he said to get the crowd clapping on the last throw. It always makes me so nervous to do the clap. There are other events going on so you don’t know if they are going to clap for you or not, but then the whole stadium did.
“This is my favorite bit of track and field. I was super nervous going into that throw. I couldn’t feel my hands, my stomach was hurting, I just took a deep breath and threw and I watched it fly. My stomach started hurting immediately, I have never felt that feeling before. I was like ‘oh my god,’ and then I saw the mark and I could not breathe.
“My friends were hugging me and were so excited. I was shocked, I still am shocked. I am going to call my mom, it is 5 a.m. at home, so have got to wait until it is a decent time for her!”
≡ RESULTS ≡
● Athletics ● At the USATF National 8 km Championships in Kingsport, Tennessee – a night race – three-time U.S. Worlds Cross Country team member Andrew Colley built up an early lead and was never headed, winning the men’s race in 22:38 to 23:12 for James Quattlebaum and 23:14 for Murphy Smith. It’s the second national title for Colley this year; he won the 25 km nationals on 9 May in Grand Rapids, Michigan as well.
It was another runaway on the women’s side, as Emily Venters – who won the USATF 6 km title on 11 July – took this race in 25:05, comfortably ahead of Allie Ostrander (25:42) and Averi Lowen a distant third in 27:11.
● Badminton ● At the BWF World Tour Japan Open in Tokyo, the reigning European men’s Singles champ, Christo Popov (FRA), won here with a 21-11, 21-19 win over Koki Watanabe (JPN). India’s two-time Olympic medalist V. Sindhu Pusarla took the women’s Singles, 21-17, 21-17 against home favorite Akane Yamaguchi (JPN).
Indonesia won the men’s Doubles, South Korea took the women’s Doubles and China was the Mixed Doubles winner.
● Basketball ● The eighth FIBA Girls U-17 World Cup was held in Brno (CZE), with the U.S. looking for a seventh title and fourth straight. The Americans won their group at 3-0, with two routs and a 74-72 win over Australia.
In the playoffs, the U.S. stomped Mexico, 112-36, then skipped past Slovenia, 77-57 before facing Canada in the semis. The Americans trailed at the quarter, 26-23, then caused 11 Canadian turnovers in the second, ran up a 25-7 score and took a 48-33 halftime lead on the way to an 86-60 win.
On the other side of the bracket, Australia and Spain met in the semifinals, with the Spanish winning by 58-51. It was Spain’s fourth final in this tournament, losing to the U.S. three times before in 2012-14-22.
This was no runaway, as the U.S. had a 27-23 lead at the quarter and 41-39 at the half. Spain got to the lead at 70-69, but the Americans took the lead back at 74-73 and held the Spanish scoreless over the final 5:12 and finished on an 11-0 run to win, 82-73. Forward Micah Ojo led with 20 points and guard Arianna Robinson had 14. Spanish point guard Isabel Hernandez led all scorers with 28.
Australia edged Canada, 64-57, to win the bronze medal.
● Cycling ● Friday’s Tour de France route of 205.8 km had one giant climb in the final quarter, but then downhill to the finish, ending in a nine-rider chase to the line, won by Swiss Mauro Schmid in 4:06:58, just ahead of Harold Tejada (COL) in the same time.
Saturday’s 14th stage was a major climbing test, with five major ascents and a finishing effort to Le Markstein over 155.3 km and it was another statement by four-time winner Tadej Pogacar (SLO). He finished off the field with an 8 km solo and won in 4:00:07, way ahead of Isaac Del Toro (MEX) and Paul Seixas (FRA) by 38 seconds. Two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard (DEN) was fourth at +0:44. So, Pogacar now has a 4:30 lead on Vingegaard and 5:04 on Olympic hero Remco Evenepoel (BEL) with a week to go.
The hilly, 183.9 km Sunday stage had a major uphill finish to the Plateau de Solaison, and Vingegaard and two teammates from his Visma-Lease A Bike group fell about 12 km out – prior to the final climb – and Vingegaard had to abandon the stage with injuries and leave the race. The stage came down to a duel between Pogacar and Evenepoel, won by the Belgian with both timed in 4:23:09. Mexico’s Del Toro was third (+0:06). With six stages left, Pogacar’s lead is now a seemingly insurmountable 5:00 over Evenepoel and 5:06 over Del Toro.
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The 30th UCI BMX World Championships was in Brisbane (AUS), with Sunday’s final day of racing cancelled due to strong winds that made riding unsafe. So, the results reverted to the qualifying on Saturday, with Australia’s Jesse Asmus winning his first Worlds gold in 33.386 (heat one: first). He was followed by heat four winner Ross Cullen (GBR: 33.695) and heat five winner Mathis Ragot Richard (FRA: 33.796).
That’s 10 straight men’s Worlds with a medal for France!
The women’s title went to defending champ Bethany Shriever (GBR: 36.585 in heat four), then Australia’s Paris Olympic champ Saya Sakakibara (36.908 in heat two) and bronze to 2018 World Champion Laura Smulders (NED: 37.030 in heat one).
It’s Shriever’s fourth Worlds gold: 2021-23-25-26.
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At the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships in Roanoke, Virginia, 2021 World Short Track champ Christopher Blevins – the 2023 national champion – won the men’s Cross Country Olympic title comfortably, 48:58 to 49:39 over defending champ Bjorn Riley, with Riley Amos third in 51:17.
Riley won the Short Track title over Blevins at the line, with both at 20:21. Ivan Sippy and Riley Amos were 3-4, both in 20:34.
The women’s Short Track race went to Paris Olympian Savilla Blunck in 19:12 with Gwen Gibson well behind by 0:26. In the women’s Cross Country Olympic race, Blunk was untouchable, racing away from the first lap to win her third senior U.S. XCO national championship – also in 2022 and 2023 – in 1:10:55, with Gibson second again, at +2:40. Crystal Anthony took third (+11:30).
● Gymnastics ● Seventeen-year-old Reese Esponda took the senior’s women’s All-Around title at the U.S. Open in Hartford, Connecticut, scoring 54.900 to edge two-time Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey (54.050) and Zoey Molomo (53.900).
Esponda was second on Vault (14.150), third on Beam (13.750) and won on Floor (13.950) to take the win, while Carey won the Vault (14.300). Two-time Worlds Team gold medalist Skye Blakely won in Uneven Bars (14.100) and Beam (14.250), the only event she contested.
● Sailing ● The 2026 Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta focused on the four classes which will compete there at the 2028 Olympic Games, with China’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronzer Kun Bi winning the men’s IQ Foil class over 2024 Olympic runner-up Grae Morris (AUS) in the medal-race final. Morris had been the leader in the ranking races, 34 net points to 77. American Noah Lyons made the final and was fourth in the medal race.
Britain’s two-time Olympic bronze winner Aimee Wilson, the ranking-race leader with 47 net points, won the medal race in the women’s division and took the gold over New Zealand’s Aimee Bright (94 ranking-race points).
In the men’s Formula Kite final, Singapore star and two-time World Champion Maximilian Maeder came out on top with six wins in the ranking races (25 net points!) and won the medal-race final. Riccardo Pianosi (ITA) was second in the ranking races and won the medal-race silver; American Noah Runciman was fourth in the medal race.
French Paris Olympic runner-up Lauriane Nolot was second in the ranking races with 40 net points, but took the title with her medal race win over ranking-races leader Jessie Kampman (NED).
The other Olympic boat classes will have a parallel regatta starting Monday in San Pedro, the Olympic harbor for 2028 for those events.
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