Home5-Ring CircusPANORAMA: Milan Cortina registers 347,000 ticket buyers; Kenya’s Kipchoge not retiring (yet); Djokovic offended by TV talk,...

PANORAMA: Milan Cortina registers 347,000 ticket buyers; Kenya’s Kipchoge not retiring (yet); Djokovic offended by TV talk, gets apology

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 1904: St. Louis ● A follow-up to last week’s sensational RR Auction of the 1904 St. Louis Olympic gold won by American Fred Schule, which sold for a hammer price of $436,297.

With the buyer’s premium – the add-on that goes to the auction house – the actual sale price was a remarkable $545,371.

Bobby Eaton of RR Auction confirmed that there were 33 total bids for the medal.

This is not a record for an Olympic medal. The record is from one of Jesse Owens’ four golds from the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin sold for $1,466,574 at auction in 2013. A second Owens gold was sold for $615,000 at auction in 2019.

● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● The registration period for the initial sales of tickets for the 2026 Winter Games closed last week with considerable success:

“There has been a great response from all over the globe, with 347,000 registrations, nearly 30% from Italy and more than 70% from abroad. Among the foreign countries with the highest number of users who have joined the Fan26 community, the digital community of Milano Cortina 2026, are the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Canada.”

Sales will start on 6 February with registrants given a 48-hour time slot for purchases, with the order determined by lottery. Buyers will be limited to a total of 25 tickets.

● Russia ● Continuing messages of hope for inclusion appear in Russian media, including an announcement that the International Canoe Federation is allowing Russians to compete as “neutrals” in Canoe Slalom events this year, with eight athletes approved so far.

Russia had three Canoe Sprint athletes in Paris, but none in Slalom.

While the Winter World University Games continue in Italy, the International University Sports Federation (FISU) told the Russian news agency TASS that with regard to the summer World University Games in Germany:

“FISU follows the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus, which are applied by the International Federations responsible for the qualification requirements in each sport. The International Federations concerned are responsible for establishing neutrality, among other criteria, before any possible participation. 

“We will indeed follow the decisions/recommendations of the international federations.”

● Athletics ● When you convince me that the world has become a running world, I will retire. When you have four billion people running every day I will retire.”

That’s Kenyan two-time Olympic marathon champ Eliud Kipchoge, now 40, at a London Marathon news conference last Friday, explaining that he’s not done yet. Asked if the 27 April London race will be his last:

“No. I will speak more when I finish the marathon. Now I’m focusing on training, purely on fitness and my muscles to be ready for the start line in London.

“I don’t like to mix some things. I learn to put all my mind on the road, put all my mind on making sure my muscles are lean and ready to combat the London streets. And the rest will come.”

He’s a four-time London winner, but failed to finish at the Olympic marathon in Paris:

“It was not my day. It’s not always straight. Sometimes you hit a bump. It’s like driving a car and getting a puncture. That’s what happened. It was a big challenge. It was demoralizing. But it’s sport. You have to wake up, go again, and push on every day.”

● Biathlon ● The sport is coming out of the snow with a new showcase in October with the Loop One Festival on 18-19 October at Munich’s Olympiapark. A Super Sprint format on roller skis will feature 60 biathlon stars in heats and a final, designed to bring new fans to the sport.

The innovation also includes programs for kids and Paralympians, as well as many other festival elements. If successful, look for more programs in more countries to follow.

● Handball ● The IHF men’s World Championship, in Croatia, Denmark and Norway, is into the second round, with Germany, three-time defending champ Denmark, France, Portugal, Iceland and Egypt all compiling 3-0 records in group play.

The second-phase “Main Round” – with six teams in each of four groups – begins on Tuesday, with the top two teams in each group heading to the quarterfinals.

The U.S., added as a wild-card team, was 0-3 in its group matches and is in the President’s Cup tournament for places 25-32.

● Swimming ● SwimSwam.com noted personal sanctions imposed on International Swimming League founder Konstantin Grigorishin by the Ukrainian government, including the freezing of all of his assets in the country. He was also on a list of individuals considered to be supporting Russia in its continuing war with Ukraine.

Grigorishin, at one time a billionaire in energy and related enterprises, founded ISL with the intention of raising swimming to a high-profile sport with its own league. It operated for three seasons in 2019-20-21 losing millions each year, subsidized by Grigorishin.

● Tennis ● Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic refused to participate in an on-court, post-match interview on Sunday at the Australian Open in Melbourne to protest comments by broadcaster Tony Jones, explaining in a video:

“A few days ago, a famous sports journalist here from Australia who works for a main broadcaster of the Australian Open, Channel 9, decided to mock Serbian fans and he made insulting and offensive comments towards me.”

Djokovic told on-court interviewer – two-time Australian Open winner Jim Courier (USA) – only “Thank you very much for being here tonight. I appreciate your presence and the support. I’ll see you next round. Thank you very much.” He left and explained his reasons at the post-match news conference and also informed the tournament management.

Nine Network apologized, with a statement:

“Nine would like to apologise to Novak Djokovic for any offence caused from comments made during a recent live cross. No harm was intended towards Novak or his fans. We look forward to further showcasing his Australian Open campaign at Melbourne Park.”

Jones also apologized, saying “I do apologise if he felt that I disrespected him.” Djokovic is through to the quarterfinals and will play Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday.

The World Anti-Doping Agency announced it will not file an appeal in the case of Polish star Iga Swiatek, given a one-month suspension for a positive test for the heart medication Trimetazidine.

Per WADA: “her positive test for TMZ was caused by a contaminated melatonin product that is regulated as a medication in Poland and was sourced from a reputable pharmacy in that country. …

“WADA’s scientific experts have confirmed that the specific contaminated melatonin scenario, as presented by the athlete and accepted by the [International Tennis Integrity Agency], is plausible and that there would be no scientific grounds to challenge it at [the Court of Arbitration for Sport].”

The second-seeded Swiatek has reached the Australian Open quarters and will play again on Wednesday against American Emma Navarro.

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