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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizers identified one more venue, for mountain bike, to be held at a temporary installation – the “Industry Hills MTB Course” – in the City of Industry in Los Angeles County, northeast of the City of Los Angeles.
Competitions will be held on Monday and Tuesday, 17-18 July, 2028, with one event each for men and women. The original venue in the 2024 Los Angeles bid was Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, about 10 miles further east.
LA28 is in the midst of its second “NOC Open Days” held primarily at the Olympic Village site at UCLA, but also including venue tours. Some 22 National Olympic Committees are participating, with 43 total delegates.
● Asian Winter Games ● The Olympic Council of Asia responded to reports of construction delays in Saudi Arabia for the 2029 Asian Winter Games with a statement carried by Agence France Presse that it is “pleased with the strong progress being made, as we closely monitor the on-schedule work from the [Saudi organizers].
“We appreciate the bold ambition of the venue and the opportunities it will create as a new winter sports destination serving the future of sport in Asia.”
The 2029 Asian Winter Games are to be held in a new, mountain resort in Trojena, part of the NEOM mega-city complex under construction.
● Athletics ● Heavy rain is forecast for Zurich and the Diamond League Final on Thursday, so the women’s vault was moved to Wednesday’s in-city event at the Sechselautenplatz, in front of the Zurich opera house.
Also, American women’s 1,500 m winner Nikki Hiltz has decided to scratch out of the Diamond League Final in favor of more training for the World Athletics Championships in September.
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The 100th anniversary meeting of the Finnkampen – the annual dual meet between Sweden and Finland – took place in Stockholm over the weekend, with Sweden sweeping both meets: 252-201 for the men and 242 1/2-211 1/2 for the women.
The dual was the no. 1 show on Swedish television for the entire week (M-Su) on Saturday (23rd) with 885,000 viewers and was no. 6 for the week on Sunday, with 580,000!
The sport would be a lot more fun, including in the U.S., if there were more nation-on-nation meets.
● Cycling ● The final two-thirds of Tuesday’s stage four of the 80th Vuelta a Espana was downhill, finishing in the French town of Voiron in southeastern France. So it was no surprise that the 206.7 km stage would end in a mass sprint, with Britain’s Ben Turner getting the victory over stage one winner Jasper Philipsen (BEL) and countryman Edward Planckaert, all in 4:50:14.
The first 115 riders received the same time, including race leaders David Gaudu (FRA) and Jonas Vingegaard (DEN). Italy’s Giulio Ciccone remains third, eight seconds back.
The race now moves to Spain, with a 24.1 km, flat Team Time Trial in Figueres on Wednesday.
● Volleyball ● At the FIVB Women’s World Championships in Thailand, pool play has concluded in groups A-B-C-D, with eight playoff teams set:
● A: 1. Netherlands 3-0; 2. Thailand 2-1
● B: 1. Italy 3-0; 2. Belgium 2-1
● C: 1. Brazil 3-0; 2. France 2-1
● D: 1. United States 3-0; 2. Slovenia 1-2
The Americans finished group play with a 26-24, 25-20, 25-15 sweep of the Czech Republic and won nine sets and lost just two in their three matches.
Italy, Brazil and the U.S. are the top three seeds, with the Dutch ranked ninth. Pool play concludes on Wednesday, with the playoffs starting on the 29th.
● Weightlifting ● Canadian lifter Shania Bedward, seventh at the 2023 World Championships in the women’s 76 kg class, agreed to a two-year suspension for the use of the prohibited stimulant modafinil. She tested positive during the 2024 Commonwealth Championships in Fiji.
She is ineligible from 19 September 2024 until 18 September 2026. For a sport which was almost eliminated from the Olympic program over doping, every violation brings worry.
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