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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The Los Angeles City Council has calendered Friday consideration of a resolution by member Monica Rodriguez from 11 February which includes:
“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Los Angeles City Council reaffirms its
commitment to the core values of the Olympic movement, including excellence, respect, integrity, accountability and transparency in leadership as the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games belong to the people of Los Angeles; and
“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council expresses concern regarding the potential conflict between the Olympic movement’s values and Casey Wasserman‘s association with the Epstein files, and calls for a thorough and transparent review of his involvement in the ongoing investigations into these matters; and
“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council urges the LA 28 Organizing Committee, and the International Olympic Committee, to ensure that all leadership roles are held by individuals who consistently reflect the Olympic movement’s commitment to integrity, accountability, and respect for all people; and
“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council pledges to work collaboratively with
community leaders, sports organizations, and stakeholders to ensure that the 2028 Games in Los Angeles serve as a global model of fairness, justice, and honor;
“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution be distributed to the LA28 Organizing Committee, the International Olympic Committee, and all relevant parties involved in the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
The resolution is non-binding and two Council committees passed on discussing it and sent it to the City Council for direct review.
● Paralympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced the selection of four-time Paralympic gold medalist Josh Pauls (sled hockey) and seven-time Paralympic medalist Laurie Stephens (alpine skiing) as flag bearers for Friday’s opening of the Milan Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Verona.
They were selected through a process led by the Team USA Athletes’ Commission. The opening of the Paralympic Games will be shown live on Friday on USA Network beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time.
The Paralympics actually started on Wednesday; the U.S. won its Mixed Doubles opening in curling with an 11-6 win over Latvia.
● Baseball ● The best baseball you will see until October starts on Thursday in Japan as the 2026 – sixth – edition of the World Baseball Classic begins.
First held in 2006, this is the premiere national-teams tournament in the world and features 20 teams for the second time in a row, playing in four groups:
Group A: San Juan, Puerto Rico
● Canada
● Colombia
● Cuba
● Panama
● Puerto Rico
Group B: Houston, Texas
● Brazil
● Great Britain
● Italy
● Mexico
● United States
Group C: Tokyo, Japan
● Australia
● Chinese Taipei
● Czech Republic
● Japan ~ defending champion
● South Korea
Group D: Miami, Florida
● Dominican Republic
● Israel
● Netherlands
● Nicaragua
● Venezuela
Pool play continues through the 11th, with the quarterfinals on 13-14 March, the semis and finals in Miami on 15-16-17 March.
FOX has coverage of the tournament in the U.S., with most of the games to be shown on FOX, FS1 or FS2.
Japan won the 2023 WBC final with a dramatic final showdown between then-Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani for Japan and Mike Trout for the U.S., with Ohtani striking Trout out on a 3-2 slider for the 3-2 and the WBC title. Ohtani was named Most Valuable Player and will be back again for the Japanese team.
● Cricket ● At the ICC men’s T20 World Cup, New Zealand won the first semifinal, defeating South Africa, 173/1 (20 overs) to 169/8 (12.5), in Kolkata (IND).
Defending champion India faces 2023 winner England on Thursday in the second semi in Mumbai. Cricket T20 will be featured as a medal sport at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
● Football ● The town of Foxborough, Massachusetts has demanded $7.8 million in security funding from the Boston 2026 World Cup host committee, or it will not approve the use of Gillette Stadium for the matches.
The deadline for the issuance of the license is 17 March and at a Tuesday evening meeting, host committee officials said invoices for reimbursement of all security amounts would be made within two days on presentation of an invoice. Town officials want payment guarantees and do not want to spend any of their own funds.
The host committee committed to the funding required and said that it has backing from the Kraft Group, owner of the stadium, as a guarantor.
Gillette Stadium is slated to host seven matches, starting on 13 June.
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An undated post by the Los Angeles host committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, apparently from late January, predicts the event will bring $515 million in “direct visitor spending on lodging, dining, retail, transportation, and entertainment” and a total economic impact of $892 million counting indirect and induced spending over time.
No details, methodology or calculations were provided. SoFi Stadium will host five group-stage matches and three playoff matches, including a quarterfinal, between 12 June and 10 July.
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/Updated/The U.S. women’s National Team had its second SheBelieves Cup match on Wednesday, in Columbus, Ohio against Canada. The first half was a defensive battle, with the U.S. controlling possession at 69% and a 9-3 edge on shots, but no goals. Striker Ally Sentnor had a couple of good looks, but both stayed outside the net.
Finally, a corner from midfield star Rose Lavelle sent a ball just outside the penalty area and Sentnor brought it down and sent a left-footed rocket into the net in the 55th minute for the 1-0 lead. Both sides had chances after that, but neither could score and the U.S. ended up with the 1-0 win, 65% possession, an 18-6 shots edge and a shutout streak of 715 minutes.
It’s the eighth straight win for the U.S. women, who have beaten Canada six straight after the loss at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.
Colombia (1-1) beat Argentina (0-2), 1-0, in the afternoon match; the final matches come on Saturday (7th), as the American women will face Colombia in Harrison, New Jersey.
● Speedskating ● US Speedskating announced that Executive Director Ted Morris will step down from his role on 31 August 2026. He has been with the organization since 2013.
The federation has grown during his tenure, with assets of just $401,375 in May 2014 and $2.669 million at the end of May 2024. Revenues are steadier now than in the past. In the year ended 31 May 2014, USS revenue was $5.142 million in a Winter Olympic year, but down to $3.939 million in May 2015.
For the fiscal year ending May 2022, revenues were $5.539 million and were $5.399 million in the non-Olympic fiscal year ended May 2024.
● Wrestling ● Mongolian wrestler and 2024 Worlds Freestyle 61 kg bronze medalist Tsogbadrakh Tseveensuren was banned for doping (testosterone) for four years by the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. His ban is from 19 June 2025 to 18 June 2029, but can be appealed.
Georgia’s 2024 Worlds Freestyle 79 kg gold medalist Avtandil Kentchadze accepted a 20-month ban for the anti-estrogenic Clomifene, and suspended from 25 May 2025 until 24 January 2027. His failed tests came in October 2024 during the World Championships and in January 2025. His victory at the 2024 Worlds is annulled.
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