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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizing committee will open its public ticket sign-up program on Wednesday.
This is not to buy tickets, but to register for the “LA28 Ticket Draw” system, which will open at 7 a.m. Pacific time on Wednesday (14th). Once signed up, registrants will receive an e-mail message (eventually), assigning them to a randomly-drawn online purchasing window.
There will be about 14 million tickets to be sold for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, more than for any other Games. The organizers have promised tickets as low as $28, with “early access” for those with credit-card billing address ZIP Codes in the Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino or Riverside countries, or in Canadian or Cleveland counties in Oklahoma for the events in Oklahoma City.
Those “local residents” registered by 18 March are expected to be able to purchase tickets during the 2-6 April early window, with an initial limit of 12 tickets per account. Sales for everyone else will follow, initially from 9-19 April 2026.
The initial ticketing program is subject to 19 pages of regulations, which do not mention the early-access window for Southern California or Oklahoma City residents.
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The City of Los Angeles’s City Council committee on Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) approved by 3-1 the recommendation of the City Planning Commission to modify several City ordinances to allow works related to the 2028 Games to skip planning and zoning reviews. This applies primarily to temporary construction and signage related to the Games, but also allows for items installed for the Games to be converted for permanent use if desired by the City.
The proposal next moves to the Ad Hoc Committee on the Olympic and Paralympic Games and if approved, to the full City Council.
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● U.S. Snowboard star Chloe Kim posted a video to Instagram explaining her situation after last week’s training crash on what appeared to be her left shoulder:
“I have good news and bad news. We’ll start with the bad. The bad news is I tore my labrum. I’m not surprised by that, but it’s official.
“The good news is that I just tore my labrum and I guess there are two different ways to do it and the way I did it is less severe than the other, so I’m really happy about that.
“Obviously I’m really disappointed that I can’t snowboard until right before the Olympics, which is going to be hard. I haven’t gotten nearly the amount of reps that I would have liked, but that’s OK.
“You know, it’s funny. I’ve been doing this for so long and every season I am met with a different set of challenges, so I guess this is going to be the one this year. But again, I’m so grateful that I will be good to go for the Olympics.
“I get to wear this really sexy shoulder brace, which I should be wearing right now. It’s really uncomfortable.”
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The Japanese federation for bobsled, luge and skeleton said Tuesday it misinterpreted the qualifying regulations for the Two-Man Bobsled for the 2026 Winter Games and did not contest Four-Man events which would count toward Two-Man qualification as well.
“Our competition committee misinterpreted the condition. We deeply apologize to the athletes who have taken part in our trip plans that did not meet the preconditions, after pouring their hearts and souls into the challenges so far.”
● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● The French National Assembly advanced a bill to allow French Anti-Doping Agency specialists to “conduct a visual inspection of baggage and, with the owner’s consent, conduct a thorough search” of sports delegation luggage in an effort to curtail doping.
This is considered new, as prior searches required judicial approval in France and even visual inspections were not allowed. The bill passed only the first reading.
● International Olympic Committee ● Responding to an inquiry from the Russian news agency TASS concerning the recent U.S. action in Venezuela, which included the capture and removal of national leader Nicolas Maduro, the IOC replied:
“In a world shaken by conflict and division, the International Olympic Committee firmly believes that sport must remain a beacon of hope, a force that unites the world. This lies at the heart of the Olympic Movement and flows from the founding principles of Olympism.
“This was reiterated by the IOC Executive Board in September 2025. As a global organization, the IOC must navigate this complex reality.
“At every Olympic Games, the IOC must take into account the current political context and recent global events. We have always done this successfully. The ability to unite athletes, regardless of their background, is fundamental to a future based on the values of truly global sport, capable of inspiring hope in the world. For this reason, the IOC cannot directly intervene in political issues or conflicts between countries, as this is beyond our remit; it is the realm of politics. Our role is to ensure that athletes, regardless of their background, can participate in the Olympic Games.”
● Transgender ● The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday concerning state regulations in Idaho and West Virginia that ban transgender women from participating in the women’s division in sports competitions. Politico reported:
“The Supreme Court seems poised to uphold state laws banning transgender women from women’s sports teams even though some justices signaled a reluctance Tuesday to issue a sweeping ruling that could reverberate beyond athletics or threaten states that require schools to accommodate transgender athletes. …
“The court appeared to lean toward putting sports in a separate category, in part because Congress did that in a 1974 amendment to Title IX that explicitly allowed sex-segregated sports, while insisting on equal athletic opportunities for men and women. The measure initially covered only intercollegiate sports but was later expanded by regulation.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted, “We have to decide for the whole country — constitutionalize this — given that half the states are allowing transgender girls and women to participate, about half are not.” The cases are Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J.
● Alpine Skiing ● U.S. superstar Mikaela Shiffrin returned to the top of the FIS World Cup podium with her sixth win of the season in the women’s Slalom in Flachau (AUT), leading a U.S. 1-2 in a rare night event.
Shiffrin and teammate Paula Moltzan were 1-2 after the first run in 56.22 and 56.41 and held on to those positions, despite being seventh and ninth on the second run. Shiffrin timed 1:50.52 to win and Moltzan finished at 1:50.93 over Katharina Truppe (AUT: 1:51.17). Fellow American Nina O’Brien was 13th at 1:53.62.
Shiffrin continues as the overall World Cup leader with 923 points to 753 for Swiss 2025 World Slalom Champion Camille Rast, after 19 of 37 events. Moltzan has now won three World Cup medals on the season, her best total ever.
● Athletics ● Dutch star Femke Bol told national broadcaster NOS that her 400 m hurdles days – in which she is the reigning World Champion – are likely behind her:
“There’s a good chance I’ll never run the 400 m hurdles again. I think it’s always an option, but the plan is really to be able to run a really good 800 m.
“The unknown is something very exciting, but also something very fun. The 400-meter hurdles was so challenging. But with everything I’ve achieved, I’ve also gained the confidence to dare to take such a step.”
“I’m not afraid of failing on the track. I’m not living in a fairy tale. It’s an illusion that I can immediately compete with the best in the 800 and win. That will take time; I just have to see if I get there.”
● Figure Skating ● French Ice Dance star Guillaume Cizeron, who won an Olympic gold and silver and five World Championships, was accused in a forthcoming book by former partner Gabriella Papadakis – “So Not to Disappear” – as being controlling and demanding and “being under his grip.”
Cizeron now performs with ex-Canadian Laurence Fournier Beaudry and is a medal contender again for Milan Cortina 2026. He said he is being unfairly treated:
“In the face of the smear campaign targeting me, I want to express my incomprehension and my disagreement with the labels being attributed to me.
“These allegations arise at a particularly sensitive time… thereby raising questions about the underlying intentions behind this campaign. I also wish to denounce the content of the book, which contains false information, attributing to me, among other things, statements I have never made and which I consider serious.”
● Snowboard ● In the seventh event of the FIS World Cup in Parallel events, Italy continued its domination on the men’s side, winning its sixth race out of seven with Maurizio Bormolini getting his second win of the season in a Slalom, at Bad Gastein (AUT).
He defeated Alexander Krashniak (BUL) in the final, with American Cody Winters getting third, the first U.S. medal of the season.
Italy completed a sweep with Lucia Dalmasso winning the women’s Slalom over Michelle Dekker (NED); it’s Dalmasso’s fourth career World Cup individual gold.
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Swiss rider Ueli Kestenholz, the 1998 Olympic Giant Slalom bronze winner, died on Sunday (11th) in an avalanche in the Valais Alps. He was 50.
Police explained that the avalanche pulled him from the mountain about 7,900 feet up, while a friend he was with managed to escape the torrent.
● Swimming ● A case filed in December 2018 over a refusal to sanction a meet in Italy by the international federation governing swimming – then known as FINA, now World Aquatics – finally came to trial in San Francisco, California on Tuesday (13th).
The International Swimming League, which held competitions in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and then stopped after the Russian invasion of Ukraine crippled the finances of billionaire founder Konstantin Grigorishin (UKR), sued FINA on anti-trust grounds based on its actions over a single meet in December 2018.
World Aquatics’ attorney explained that Grigorishin had offered FINA $50 million for ten years of exclusive rights to develop professional meets, but an agreement was never concluded. Further, even after it held three seasons of meets – without interference by FINA – Grigorishin’s league was unable to establish a going concern and lost millions each year, leading defense counsel to conclude, “Mr. Grigorishin is looking for someone to blame for his failure.”
The trial is continuing in the U.S. Federal Court for the Northern District of California.
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