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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizers announced T-Mobile for Business as its Official Telecommunications Services Provider, at the Official Supporter level, the third tier for LA28, behind Founding Partner and Official Partner.
In the U.S., T-Mobile is one of the three mobile service leaders, along with Verizon and AT&T, and had $81.4 billion in revenue in 2024. T-Mobile US is majority owned by Deutsche Telekom AG of Germany.
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The Los Angeles City Council approved Wednesday the move of diving from the LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swimming Stadium to the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena, “contingent upon completion of a signed definitive agreement between the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2028 (LA28) and the Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) regarding the licensing and right to access the John C. Argue Swim Stadium at Exposition Park and a commitment by LA 28 to undertake efforts to bring it to national and international competition standards in order to create a lasting community benefit.”
● Olympic Winter Games 2038 ● Switzerland was granted a first-ever “privileged dialogue” status with the International Olympic Committee for the 2038 Olympic Winter Games, but with the proviso that an agreement on the bid must be completed in 2027.
That timeline may be under threat, said Swiss Sports Federation President Ruth Metzler-Arnold, in an interview published Wednesday. She explained that the Swiss Federal Council would need to approve the bid outline by June 2026, with confirmation by the Swiss Parliament by the end of 2026, and then submitted to the IOC in February 2027. But:
“The instrument that the Federal Council has provided for this project is a planning decision. If parliament were to declare this to be substantial, this would open the way for an optional referendum.”
She indicated that if a referendum was to be held, “our candidature is no longer possible” due to the timing.
Swiss regional efforts to land a Winter Games have been torpedoed by referendums previously, in Graubunden in 2017 and in Sion in 2018 (both for 2026). The Swiss plan for 2038 is considered as a national bid, being re-worked to meet the IOC’s needs.
● Enhanced Games ● British sprint star Ben Proud, 30, the Paris 2024 silver medalist in the men’s 50 m Freestyle and a six-time World Championships medal winner, has signed with the doping-allowed Enhanced Games. He wrote on Instagram:
“It’s time for a shift.
“I will be retiring from traditional swimming to compete in the Enhanced Games.
Stepping into a framework that challenges everything we know about performance, and a chance to chase the outer edge of human potential with the tools and possibilities of our time.
“This is where my next chapter begins.”
AquaticsGB posted a statement on X:
“Aquatics GB is immensely disappointed in Ben Proud’s announcement to sign with the Enhanced Games. Aquatics GB, along with our partners, stand firmly behind the values and principles of clean sport and condemns Ben’s decision in the strongest terms.”
Proud competes in the 50 m Free and 50 m Fly, which fits the Enhanced Games program. The first event is slated for May 2026 in Las Vegas.
● U.S. Anti-Doping Agency ● USADA and the International Testing Agency, which will be responsible for implementation of the anti-doping program at Los Angeles 2028, announced an expanded cooperation agreement extending their 2019 pact to collaborate on testing and investigative efforts. Per the statement:
“The new agreement details how the organizations will share information, coordinate on sample collection, and partner to advance best practices.
“More specifically, the renewed agreement confirms USADA DCOs’ access to the ITA’s globally recognized IDCO Training Program, which will further guarantee that USADA personnel, who already receive extensive training, have additional opportunities to obtain advanced certifications along with their counterparts around the world. Similarly, the ITA will work closely with USADA to ensure that its operations align with standards and testing certification requirements in the United States.”
The agreement is important politically as well, as while USADA continues its war of words with the World Anti-Doping Agency over its performance, the on-the-ground anti-doping work continues in cooperation with the ITA.
● Archery ● The Recurve team events took center stage on Wednesday at the World Archery Championships in Gwangju (KOR), with the host South Koreans winning their third straight men’s team title, defeating the U.S. by 6-0 in the final.
Korea’s team included Woo-jin Kim, Woo-seok Lee and Je-deok Kim, and Woo-jin Kim won his 10th individual World Championships gold. The American squad had Brady Ellison (seventh career Worlds medal), Trenton Cowles and Christian Stoddard; Japan finished third.
Chinese Taipei won its second Worlds Women’s Team gold in the last four championships, defeating Japan by 6-0. South Korea won the bronze.
In the Recurve Mixed Team final, South Korea had won all seven editions of this event since it was included in the 2011 Worlds, but the streak ended with Spain’s Elia Canales and Andres Temino defeating Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ San An and Woo-jin Kim, 6-2.
The Recurve men’s and women’s events continue through Friday.
● Athletics ● The USATF Foundation announced $750,000 in Elite Athlete Development Grants for 2025:
“Elite Athlete grants are awarded through a competitive selection process. The Elite Athlete Development applications are carefully reviewed and determined by the USATF Foundation Elite Grant Committee, based on a combination of athletic performance, character references and an extra emphasis on financial need.”
Recipients include development athletes and established stars, including members of the 2025 World Championships team; 45 athletes will receive $15,000 grants and another 15 will receive $5,000.
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● USA Bobsled & Skeleton’s annual Team USA Push Championships in Lake Placid, New York saw 2025 World Women’s Monobob Champion Kaysha Love with the fastest two-heat combined time for pilots of 11.337 seconds, ahead of Sylvia Hoffman (11.414), Kaillie Armbruster Humphries (11.881) and Elana Meyers Taylor (11.938).
The fastest women in the push group were Jasmine Jones (11.112) – now on her way to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in the 400 m hurdles – followed by Sylvia Hoffman (11.118); Lolo Jones was sixth at 11.389.
The top men’s pilots were Kris Horn (10.553), Frank Del Duca (10.690) and John Eldridge (0.750). The top pushers were Charlie Volker (10.132) and Carsten Vissering (10.272).
● Cycling ● Stage 17 of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana was another uphill finish, this time to the 1,755 m Alto de El Morredero, with Australia’s Jai Hindley attacking with 6 km remaining, but passed by Guilio Pellizzari (ITA) with 3.5 km left and he sailed to victory in 3:37:00 over 143.2 km.
Britain’s Tom Pidcock was second (+0:16) and Hindley was third at +0:18. Race leader Jonas Vingegaard was fourth (+0:20), with challenger Joao Almeida (POR: +0:22) in fifth.
Overall, Vingegaard leads Almeida by 50 seconds, with Pidcock third at +2:28. Thursday is a flat, 27.2 km Individual Time Trial in and around Valladolid.
● Figure Skating ● The International Skating Union, assuming that a limited number of Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete as “neutrals” at the 2026 Winter Games, has allowed one Russian skater per event at its Olympic qualifying event on 19-21 September in Beijing (CHN).
However, as flags and symbols are banned, this applies to spectators as well, according to an ISU statement to the Russian news agency TASS:
“The flags of the Russian Federation or Belarus (modern or historical) must not be raised or displayed at any competition venue, any area where ancillary events are held, or any other area controlled by the organizer of the qualifying competitions for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.”
● Shooting ● “The International Shooting Sport Federation regrets to inform all athletes, coaches, officials and other personnel affected that Moving Target events have been cancelled for the upcoming ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt, due to government restrictions.
“Following correspondence with the Egyptian Shooting Federation President, Hazem Hosny, a decision has been to cancel the scheduled 10m and 50m Moving Target events.
“This is due to the prohibition of bringing telescopic sights into Egyptian territory, necessary pieces of equipment for Moving Target events.”
Moving Target events are not part of the Olympic program for shooting, but are included in the much larger ISSF World Championships event list. Ukraine and Kazakhstan dominated those events at the 2023 Worlds, winning a combined 10 of the 12 events.
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China’s Kai Hu, 23, won his fourth ISSF World Cup gold of the year in the men’s 10 m Air Pistol in Ningbo (CHN), scoring 242.3 in the final, ahead of teammate Changjie You (241.5).
It was Hu’s second win of the tournament, after he and Qianxun Yao took the Mixed Team final, 17-5, over Veronika Schejbalova and Jindrich Dubovy (CZE). Norway’s Jeanette Duestad and Jon-Hermann Hegg won the 10 m Rifle Mixed Team, 17-9, over China.
● Snowboard ● Two-time Olympic Slopestyle champion Jamie Anderson of the U.S. has returned to competition at age 34. A mother of two, she won the Slopestyle at 2014 and 2018 Winter Games and a 2018 silver in Big Air and said in an NBC interview:
“I don’t know where it’s coming from, but I’m fired up. As always, I’m going to go with the flow, trust my intuition and play it by ear. It will probably be mayhem traveling with a family of four, but I’m feeling inspired to get some tricks I was doing pre-motherhood back on the table.”
She will, of course, be trying to qualify for the U.S. team for the Milan Cortina Winter Games in February.
● Weightlifting ● American star Joe Dube, a 1968 Olympic bronze medalist and the 1969 World Champion in the +110 kg class, passed away at age 81 on 8 September, in Jacksonville, Florida.
He is the last American male lifter to win an overall Worlds gold (combined lifts), taking the Super Heavyweight title with a lifetime combined best of 577.5 kg (1,273 pounds!).
He won the only American medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, placing third in the +90 kg class. Injuries sidelined him from 1972-79 and he came back briefly before retiring for good in 1981.
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