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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● LA28 organizing committee chief executive Reynold Hoover told the Los Angeles Times that, as the LA28 Board Executive Committee has stated, Casey Wasserman should continue as Chair:
“Casey was here at the beginning of this whole project, and there’s nobody with the kind of business sense of the Olympics and how to put the partnerships together that you [need] to deliver on the Olympics. … Between him and I, we make a great team.”
He added that, “No sponsor has come to us and said that they don’t want to be associated with us or are concerned about the current controversy.”
Hoover also noted that more than 215,000 have registered to possibly volunteer for the Olympic and/or Paralympic Games and that he continues to work with Federal authorities for funding to cover the security elements of the Games.
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The International Olympic Committee is expanding its “Olympic Qualifier Series” for 2028, creating showcase events for final qualifying for Los Angeles for smaller federations, in order to provide more support and a higher profile.
For the Paris 2024 Games, two events were held, focused in BMX Freestyle, breaking, climbing and skateboard. For 2028, three events will be staged between April and June, with BMX Freestyle, climbing and skateboard joined by 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, and flag football, for a total of six sports or disciplines.
The Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports) said Wednesday that it is bidding for the third and final stop in the series. Orlando successfully hosted the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and the concept for is to use Camping World Stadium, home of the annual Florida Cirtus Bowl.
Orange County (Fla.) plans to assist with support of the proposed program via its Tourist Development Tax fund.
● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● Edgar Grospiron, the 1992 Olympic Moguls champion and head of the French Alps organizing committee, told the French Senate Committee on Culture, Education, Communications and Sport that “All issues are moving forward, despite the governance challenges we’ve faced.”
The recent spate of senior executive departures – including chief executive Cyril Linette – had worried some observers, but Grospiron said the sponsorship sales effort is moving forward and “the decisions have been made and the processes to restructure our organization are underway.”
As for the sports and venues plan, he explained, “We’re roughly four months behind, but that’s four months of delay on only 15% of our venue map. We know 85% of our map and we’re working on it. The remaining 15% concerns the allocation of alpine skiing between Courchevel and Val d’Isère, the speed oval, the Paralympic events which we’re trying to consolidate at a single venue in Savoie, and finally, the additional sports.”
● Alpine Skiing ● Italy’s Federica Brignone was one of the best stories of the 2026 Winter Games, coming back from an April 2025 crash to win two golds. But her future is anything but assured. She explained from the World Cup in Soldeu (AND):
“Believing in something that seems impossible is a huge motivation. It’s difficult, but we are the architects of our own destiny. It was a personal challenge – I didn’t do it to receive gratitude. But if it can be a message for someone, then I’m happy. …
“Honestly, I hoped I would feel better. I’m still in quite a lot of pain and I struggle to put weight on it. That’s why you didn’t see me in training today.
“I’ll evaluate things day-by-day. We agreed that just being at the Olympics was already a ‘bonus’ and now even more so it must not become torture. It has to be something healthy and safe.
If I can’t truly stand on my leg, I have no intention of throwing myself down the mountain at 130 km [81 miles] an hour.”
And the future?
“It depends on my health. If it becomes torture, it will be difficult. If I feel good, why not? I haven’t made a decision. I don’t feel like I want to quit. I’m tired of the pain – not of racing.”
● Athletics ● The USATF National Indoors in on this weekend at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, New York, with the meet selecting the U.S. team for the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland in March.
Sunday’s meet will be shown on NBC from 1-3 p.m. Eastern time.
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The race to replace Sebastian Coe (GBR) as the head of World Athletics is starting.
Elections will be held prior to the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing (CHN), with filings for office opening on 1 March 2026 and due at the latest by 1 June 2027. Selections will be made for World Athletics President, four Vice Presidents and 13 Council members.
An independent Vetting Panel is to ensure “only candidates who meet World Athletics’ high integrity standards are eligible to stand for election.”
The current World Athletics First Vice President is former Colombian 400 m star Ximena Restrepo, the 1992 Olympic women’s 400 m bronze winner, with a best of 49.64. She married Chilean shot star Gert Weil and lives in Chile and is expected to be a leading candidate.
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“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has partially upheld an appeal by World Athletics against the Ethiopian National Anti-Doping Office (ETH-NADO) and middle-distance runner Diribe Welteji Kejelcha (Ethiopia).
“Ms Welteji is found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) and is sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of two years from 8 July 2025, with credit for provisional suspension served.”
Thursday’s announcement follows a 21 May 2025 charge by the Athletics Integrity Unit against Welteji, the 2023 World women’s Road Mile champion, for not providing a testing sample at an out-of-competition doping control on 23 February 2025. She was cleared by the Ethiopian anti-doping authority and was appealed with a request for a four-year ban.
Welteji was not allowed to compete at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, and the arbitrator found that she was negligent only and imposed a two-year ban with credit for time serviced. She will be eligible again on 1 July 2027.
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Jeff Galloway, an American 10,000 m Olympian in 1972 and a running evangelist for his “run-walk-run approach” to training, passed away in Pensacola, Florida on 25 February, at age 80.
He was involved in the growth of the famed Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, the Avon International Women’s Marathon and the Phidippides running shore chain, and for decades as a speaker, urging people to find joy and fitness in running and exercise.
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Manteo Mitchell, 38, now a bobsledder, but formerly an Olympic 4×400 m relay silver medalist in athletics, was publicly warned by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for attending an online USA Track & Field committee meeting last September.
This was in violation of his two-year doping ban from 2 February 2025, but Mitchell had been invited to the meeting and did not know that the ban extended to non-bobsled activities. It does, but no sanction was added.
● Boxing ● The International Boxing Association, the former governing body for Olympic boxing, said that if the International Olympic Committee does not pay prize money for the 2028 Olympic tournament, it will. The IBA claimed that it paid $100,000 to Paris 2024 gold medalists with $50,000 to the boxer, $25,000 to the coach and $25,000 to the national federation (which is now not affiliated with the IBA). Runner-ups were to have received $50,000, bronze winners $25,000 and fifth-placers $10,000.
● Diving ● Amid violence in the Mexican state of Jalisco, World Aquatics said Thursday that the Diving World Cup stage planned for 5-8 March in Zapopan has been cancelled:
“This decision follows travel restrictions issued by some international embassies and an overall evaluation of travel cautions, which have limited or advised against travel to Mexico at this time and, as a result, did not authorize their national teams to participate in the competition. The safety and participation of all athletes remains a fundamental priority for World Aquatics.”
● Football ● FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) said on Wednesday concerning the violence in the Mexican state of Jalisco:
“We are analysing and monitoring the situation in Mexico these days, at this moment.
“But I want to say from the outset that we have complete confidence in Mexico, in its president [Claudia] Sheinbaum, in the authorities, and we are convinced that everything will turn out for the best.
“From my side, and from FIFA’s side, I have absolute confidence in President Sheinbaum. We are in regular contact with the Presidency and the authorities, and we are, in any case, monitoring the situation. The World Cup is going to be an incredible celebration.”
He noted confidence in the football situation in Mexico:
“We have some matches in Mexico in a month, the World Cup playoffs, and the new Azteca Stadium will also be inaugurated.
“Mexico is a great football country. Like in every country in the world, things happen; we don’t live on the moon or another planet. That’s why we have governments, police, and authorities who will ensure order and security.”
● Shooting ● The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) “is seriously concerned about the recent dissemination by the European Shooting Confederation (ESC), of an article published on the outlet Inside The Games regarding Article 6.12.5.2 of the ISSF General Technical Rules and the ISSF Academy licensing system, which initially included various factual inaccuracies.”
The post criticizes the news site and the European confederation:
“ISSF believes that institutional positions and the discussions among the stakeholders should be made through official institutional channels and not via content produced by a media outlet which appears not to be in good standing with the IOC.” The ISSF is now asking for an “urgent institutional meeting with the full ESC Presidium” and closer monitoring of ESC meetings.
Back story: The ESC President is Russian Alexander Ratner, whose election is being challenged by runner-up finisher Karoliina Nissinen (FIN), for voting interference by former ISSF President Vladimir Lisin (RUS). The ISSF inquiry into the election is ongoing.
● Wrestling ● Sad news that two-time Olympian and National Wrestling Hall of Fame member Bobby Douglas passed away at age 83 on 23 February in Ames, Iowa.
He was a 1964 and 1968 U.S. Olympian and competed at the world championships six times, and won a 1966 silver at 63 kg and 1970 bronze and 68 kg. He had a stellar coaching career, winning the 1988 NCAA title at Arizona State, where he headed the program for 18 season, then moved to Iowa State for 14 years before retiring. He was an assistant or head coach for 10 U.S. Olympic or World Championships teams and the men’s Freestyle coach for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
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