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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● The LA28 organizers announced that sign-ups for the ticket lottery will begin on 14 January 2026, with ticket sales to begin later in the year.
Registration is free and if selected, will be assigned to a designated time period to buy tickets available in that period. This is a much earlier sale of tickets than for prior Games, but LA28 will have more tickets available for sale than any prior Games.
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The organizing committee announced that American music star Mariah Carey will perform at the Olympic opening on 6 February in Milan. It will be Carey’s first appearance at an Olympic Games. Per the announcement:
“Recognised worldwide for her unmistakable voice and for a musical legacy that spans generations and cultures, Mariah Carey perfectly embodies the emotional spirit of the Games.
“In this context, music, a universal language that bridges stories and perspectives, intertwines with the main theme of the Opening Ceremony: Armonia. At the San Siro Olympic Stadium, this principle will take shape through an encounter of cultures, creativity and participation.”
● Youth Olympic Games Winter 2028: Dolomiti Valtellina ● The 2028 Winter YOG will be smaller than the 2024 edition in Gangwon (KOR), with about 1,600 athletes instead of 1,803 and about 74 events vs. 81:
“The programme will include the seven core Winter Olympic sports (biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing) and eight new events, including synchronised skating, mixed singles luge, moguls, and rail events for freestyle skiing and snowboarding, while 15 events from Gangwon will no longer be on the programme.”
● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Endowment named its 2025 award winners, including long-time USA Wrestling chief executive Rich Bender as its George M. Steinbrenner III Sport Leadership Award. Bender has been at the helm of the federation since 2001 and has not only seen excellent medal performance from American athletes, but an expansion of the sport and new highs in memberships and the adoption of women’s wrestling as an NCAA championship sport.
Superstar diver Greg Louganis and 22-time Paralympic medalist Tatyana McFadden won the William E. Simon Award for sustained athletic excellence; Dr. Sean McCann received the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Award for service to the U.S. Olympic Movement in psychological services and counseling, and seven-time Paralympic medal winner Dr. Cheri Blauwet won the new William J. Hybl Paralympic Contributor Award, notably for her work as Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab and Associate Professor at Northwestern University.
The USOPC also announced that Hybl, 83, and twice President of the USOC (as then known), is retiring as head of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Endowment, which oversees investment and distribution of the $93 million share of the surplus from the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He will be succeeded by former USOPC Board Chair Susanne Lyons, who also served as the USOPC’s chief executive during a transitional period in 2018. Lyons has been a member of the Endowment Board since 2018.
● Alpine Skiing ● “All the people that didn’t believe in me, I have to thank them because it really gives me a lot of motivation.
“I’m surprised that people haven’t figured that out by now. That every time you talk bad about me it just makes me stronger and better and more motivated. So I would love for people to keep coming at me. It would be great. Motivate me even more.”
That’s American ski star Lindsey Vonn, 41, as reported by The Associated Press, after placing first, second and fourth in the two FIS World Cup Downhills and Super-G in St. Moritz (SUI) over the weekend.
She had said that she would retire after the 2026 Winter Games in Milan Cortina, but now, “I think I might need to change my approach,” and compete to the end of the World Cup season in March and then consider her future.
● Athletics ● During a long interview by India’s Sportstar, U.S. Olympic sprint champ Noah Lyles was asked about running the 400 m in the future:
“I ran a 400 m last year too, but I don’t see it happening for me to run a competitive event. If it does, it will happen after the Los Angeles [Olympics]. But I really don’t like the training. It’s not the race. It’s the training. That’s the hard part.”
He’s also not the souped-up personality you see in public all the time. Asked about misconceptions people have:
“The funniest one is when people expect to be in my private life as I am on the field. But that exuberance is very specifically for the sports setting. I might still carry my confidence outside it but it’s not over the top because that’s no longer what’s required of me.”
Lyles also commented on the World Athletics athlete of the year awards, noting especially that American triple women’s sprint gold medalist Melissa Jefferson-Wooden “wasn’t even nominated. At this point, this award is kind of a joke.”
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● The Russian news agency TASS reported that the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation has deemed the Two-Man, Two-Woman and Four-Man events to be “team” competitions and under the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee from 2022, are not required to be open to “neutral” athletes.
The IBSF is allow individual competitors in the women’s Monobob and the men’s and women’s Skeleton events.
Surprisingly, the International Canoe Federation and World Rowing have allowed Russian crews in the Double Sculls and Pairs.
● Boxing ● New stars were in action at the USA Boxing National Championships in Lubbock, Texas, where the finalists are all to be invited to the federation’s training camp in January in Colorado Springs.
Only one 2024 champion defended their title, Naomi Graham in the women’s 75 kg class, defeating no. 2-ranked Kendra Samargia by 4:1. Two 2024 winners got to the finals, but lost, including Malachi Georges in the men’s 90 kg, to Joseph Awimongya (4-1) and Jennifer Lozano in the women’s 51 kg, to no. 2 Noelle Haro (3:2).
Haro was among six second-ranked fighters to win national titles, also Marcus Luther at 65 kg, taking a 5:0 decision over Rene Camacho and five women, including Haro. At 46 kg, no. 2 Lauren Flynn defeated Mireyna Cazares (5:0); at 65 kg, Jayshannet Zapata won by 5:0 against Qiermauri Polk; at 57 kg, Deborah Grant won by 5:0 vs. Norely Ramirez; at 65 kg, Marie-Angelis Rosendo won over no. 6 Alexis Proctor by 4:1; at 70 kg, it was Isabella Winkler winning by 5:0 over no. 3 Sage Rosario.
Seven of the 10 men’s winners were not ranked in the USA Boxing top 10 coming into the tournament; that was true for only two of the women, including Paulena Miles, who won a 4:1 decision against 2024 46 kg champ Emely Sandoval.
● Diving ● At the USA Diving Winter Nationals in Midland, Texas, 13-year-old ElliReese Niday followed up her 2025 Nationals gold with another big win in the women’s 10 m final, scoring 754.85 points to dominate the field, with Ella Roselli a distant second with 649.50.
Sophie Verzyl, who won the 3 m National Championship win in the summer, won again at 593.30, holding off Margo O’Meara (568.60). O’Meara took the 1 m gold, scoring 536.80 to best Avery Worobel (494.05).
In the men’s finals, Quentin Henninger won the 3 m title at 836.35 over Jack Ryan (806.35), moving up from third in 2024. Summer Nationals runner-up Jordan Rzepka won the 10 m event at 866.45, with Andrew Bennett second, scoring 780.40. Tennessee diver Bennett Greene won his first U.S. Nationals, taking the 1 m at 754.30, just ahead of Luke Sitz (745.10).
The Synchro events will finish on Tuesday.
● Football ● If you’re wondering about those controversially-high ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, The Associated Press compiled a thorough look at pricing as of 11 December, including for categories one, two and three, the top three tiers.
In summary, they’re not cheap.
● Handball ● The 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship in Germany and The Netherlands finished with Norway’s tense, 23-20 win over Germany in the final, but also with record tournament attendance of 354,029, breaking the prior high of 344,399 from the 2023 Worlds.
With 32 teams and 108 matches, the average attendance was 3,278.
● Short Track ● US Speedskating named its 2026 Olympic team, with high hopes for medals, with five returning Olympic performers.
Kristen Santos-Griswold won the ISU seasonal World Cup trophy last season and has battled back from injuries to start the 2025-26 season, but still won two World Tour medals. Corinne Stoddard has stepped up for the women, taking an impressive nine medals in the four World Tour meets.
Andrew Heo won the only men’s medal of the World Tour season, but it was a stunning gold in the 500 m at the final stop of the tour. Those veterans are joined by fellow Olympians Julie Letai and Eunice Lee. The newcomers are Kamryn Lute for the women and Clayton DeClemente and Brandon Kim for the men.
● Skiing ● The International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) posted a list of approved Russian and Belarusian “neutral” athletes, eligible to compete in FIS competitions. As of Monday (15th), five Russians and nine Belarusians have received approval (14 total).
Two are Alpine skiers (both BLR), four in Cross Country (2 BLR, 2 RUS), six in Freestyle (5 BLR, 1 RUS), and one each in Nordic Combined (RUS) and Snowboard (RUS).
● Swimming ● Olympic and World relay champion Cody Miller, 33, the 2016 Olympic men’s 100 m Breaststroke bronze winner, was announced as the ninth swimmer to join the doping-friendly Enhanced Games.
He was a 2016 Olympian and made two U.S. World Championship teams, in 2015 and 2017. He said in a video, “I am fully retired from traditional forms of swimming … I have completely closed that chapter of my life.” As for the Enhanced Games, he explained:
“They’re paying me a lot of money. I have no shame in saying that. At the Enhanced Games, there is millions of dollars on the table. You know, you can look up the prize money structure for one day of swimming. If you win two events, that’s $500,000.
“That’s never happened before. If you set records, there’s more money. You win two events and set records, there’s a million dollars for one day of swimming. I’m proud that athletes in my sport have that opportunity to earn that kind of money to have those kinds of incentives that professional athletes should have.
“Me taking part in this event is going to allow me to do what I love, which is train, race, compete, and also provide for my family in a way that swimming has never given me before. You know, I went to the Olympic Games and won medals and made less than $100,000. I personally think we athletes deserve better than that and enhanced is doing that.”
He added, “My third primary life objective and I don’t want this to sound too cheesy but is to live a life of adventure.”
As for participating in a doping-friendly event, he said:
“All I ask is that you respect my decision as well. The reality is the world is changing. Enhancements is here. The Enhanced Games is here. And I think it will be cool for us to compare. Here are the enhanced athletes and here are the non-enhanced athletes. This is a new thing. It’s a new form of competition.”
As for the competitive aquatics world he came from, he said, “I also want to be super clear that I fully support clean sport in the traditional forms of swimming at the Olympic level in the [World Aquatics] sanctioned events. That’s how it should be. Those are the rules. Those rules should be followed. This is something different.”
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Olympic icon Katie Ledecky competed in one event in the first Katie Ledecky Invitational meet in College Park, Maryland on Sunday (14th), but she made it memorable by becoming the first woman to break the 15-minute mark in the 1,650-yard Freestyle, winning in 14:59.62.
This is not a world-record distance (it’s in a 25-yard, short-course yards pool), but smashed her own American Record of 15:01.41 from 2023.
● Table Tennis ● Although the 2025 Annual General Meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation was completed in November after being suspended after a near-riot in May, following the Presidential election, in Doha (QAT).
However, the questions concerning sanctions on those who yelled and screamed and called for changes to the voting have not been answered. So, on 5 December, the ITTF posted a procedure for investigation and possible sanctions that was dated as of 5 September.
It calls for an independent inquiry by London-based Harod Associates, to be completed by 28 February 2026 and any notice of charges to be made by the ITTF Integrity Board by 31 March 2026.
So, the meeting was finally over in November but consideration of the disruption is – quite rightly – not concluded yet.
● Triathlon ● The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and World Triathlon (TRI) announced Saturday an integrated schedule of events to be called the World Triathlon Tour in 2027. The new tour will “combine the existing T100 Triathlon World Tour, a rebranded World Triathlon Championship Series and World Triathlon Cups.
“The T100 Tour will be rebranded as the T100 World Championship Series. The World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) will be rebranded the T50 World Championship Series and a newly formed feeder series will be branded a ‘Challenger’ series. Combined across the different distances and two competition levels – World Championship and Challenger – the Triathlon World Tour will grow to approximately 100 events per year from 2027, with a number of new events being announced in early 2026.”
This is a move to reduce the fragmentation of the sport, which has sprint events of 750 m swimming, 20 km biking and a 5 km run; Olympic-distance events of 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run (51.5 km in all) and T100 events of 2 km swim, 80 km bike and 18 km run (100 km total). The same athletes race at all of these distances during the year, so the plan should assist athletes and is designed to increase the profile and commercial attractiveness of the sport.
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