★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★
≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● Primary nominating elections were held on Tuesday, but the slow vote counting in Los Angeles means that the outcomes are not confirmed as of Thursday. Turnout in Los Angeles County was estimated at 34%.
In the mayoral race, with a bit more than half of the votes counted, incumbent Karen Bass was leading with 34.97% of the vote, ahead of insurgent, reality-TV star Spencer Pratt (29.91%) and Council member Nithya Raman (22.81%). Without an absolute majority, Bass will face a November run-off against the second-place finisher, unusual for an incumbent mayor in Los Angeles.
Related to the 2028 Olympic Games, Measure TT, which would increase the Transient Occupancy (hotel) Tax from 14% to 16% through the end of 2028 to help fund City services was losing by 55.38% to 44.62%. If the measure does not pass, this will further increase the pressure on the City’s finances and, therefore, pressure on the LA28 organizers and the U.S. Federal government for help.
¶
The City of Santa Monica approved applications for 2028 Games-related programs, including a rental of the famed “Camera Obscura” building on Ocean Avenue, closed since 2020, for $300,000 for the duration of the Games period to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for a “House of Switzerland.” from 14 June to 21 September 2028.
The contract is planned to allow the City to refurbish the facility and allow public use once again; some of the interior decor provided by the Swiss may be retained after the Games. If an added area of adjacent Palisades Park is used, an additional fee of $200,000 would be due.
Santa Monica also approved the use of the Annenberg Beach House to the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) for $1.55 million for its “Club France” from 30 June to 4 August 2028.
● Russia ● Plans are continuing with the expectation in Russia that it will send a full team to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev speaking at a sport forum in St. Petersburg:
“This year, 2.6 billion rubles have been allocated for a specific training program for Los Angeles. The amount each federation will receive will be announced soon. These are individual plans: the money can be spent on equipment, travel, rent, and other things. Improving the infrastructure of the bases is a state task. We’ve already renovated the base in Ruza, where weightlifters will train for the Olympic Games, using state funds.”
The RUB 2.6 billion is worth about $35.42 million U.S. at current rates. Degtyarev also had advice for Russian companies:
“The Olympic Committee has already finalized the mascot, the media sponsor [MAER], and the equipment [Bosco]. There are still some remaining options: a bank, communications, and an airline. Of course, I’m amazed at some sponsors: don’t they understand that today it will cost one ruble, and tomorrow, ten? Welcome. We’ll negotiate.”
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● USA Bobsled & Skeleton is looking for pilots and pushers and has recruited iHeartMedia to help with recruiting in a new sponsorship deal:
“As part of the partnership, iHeartMedia will contribute significant on-air and digital marketing support to help promote USA Bobsled and Skeleton recruitment events to a broader audience nationwide and will become the title sponsor for the 2026 Recruitment Series.”
The Recruitment Series puts attendees through a series of skills test for speed, agility and power with the top performers invited to a federation training camp in Lake Placid, New York.
● Fencing ● USA Fencing announced a sponsorship agreement with the connectivity firm Cloudflare, with the idea to use its performance tools to expand the Boutcaster platform and allow fans to follow every match on every piste at USA Fencing events, regardless of the number of simultaneous steams.
The project was tested again at the April 2026 North American Cup in Richmond,Virginia. The announcement noted, “The platform was created by David Baraff, a national-level fencing referee and technology expert who worked directly with Andrews and USA Fencing’s IT lead Zemi Lawrence.”
The expansion of live or on-demand streams from a single event will open significant possibilities for many sports. The next question will be how to sell sponsorships for each stream!
● Football ● A week before play begins at the 2026 World Cup, FIFA changed its policy on fans being able to bring refillable water bottles to matches on Wednesday, banning the items, according to an updated “code of conduct”:
“For the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be brought into the stadium.”
Agence France Presse reported a FIFA statement which worried about safety:
“FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers, and staff. FIFA made the decision to prohibit bottles to prevent risk and injury to players and attendees.
“Outside bottles are already prohibited at several of these venues for safety considerations, and FIFA is applying this consideration across its tournament stadiums.”
At the same time, there are concerns over high temperatures at open-air stadiums; FIFA’s statement insisted that misting stations, fans, hydration stations and cooling tents would be able at or near the venues.
¶
FIFA announced a program with Bank of America and the Veteran Tickets Foundation to distribute “4,547 tickets in various categories, including the semi-final and final, to U.S. military veterans, current military personnel, first responders and their families.” The tickets, valued at $2.25 million, will be for games at U.S. venues.
As part of the offer, “250 tickets [are] being set aside for U.S. Men’s National Team matches during the tournament in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.”
¶
It was reported that an estimate of the “carbon footprint” of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be about 7.8 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), about 2.1 times the amount for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Air travel is, as it always is, the primary generator, with spectator travel responsible for a projected 87.8% of the projected total and team travel at 0.2% for an 88.0% total. Accommodations is a distant second at 4.7%.
The methodology shown for the calculations did not appear to factor in what the differential is between a non-World Cup year and the World Cup year of 2026. Without subtracting the existing flights to the 11 U.S. venues, it’s impossible to understand what the World Cup itself adds – if anything – to the in-place travel carbon load. If not included – there was no indication of this – it’s a weakness of the study and the calculations of the “World Cup impact.”
● Skiing ● U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced its fourth annual U.S. Ski Team awards, presented by Stifel, including the athlete of the year for men and women in
● Alpine: Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Lindsey Vonn
● Cross Country: Jessie Diggins and Ben Ogden
● Freeski: Mac Forehand and Grace Henderson
● Freestyle/Aerials: Chris Lillis
● Freestyle/Moguls: Olivia Giaccio
● Nordic Combined: Alexa Brabec and Niclas Malacinski
● Ski Jumping: Annika Belshaw and Kevin Bickner
● Para Alpine: Patrick Halgren
Awards in each discipline were also made for the Rookie of the Year, Most Improved, Best Comeback and Coach.
● Tennis ● While Wimbledon will command the tennis headlines starting on 29 June, the All England Club will be promoting the tournament and the sport in New York’s Central Park from 26-29 June, with a “pop-up” grass court on the Wollman Ice Rink.
A Doubles exhibition match will be held on the 26th, fans can play on the grass court on 27-28 June via a public drawing for time slots and the opening day of Wimbledon will be shown on giant screens on the 29th. There will be lots of side activities, such as free clinics, merchandise and even the tournament’s famed strawberries and cream.
¶
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 681-event International Sports Calendar for 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
