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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● NBC announced that preliminary data shows “the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics averaged 23.5 million viewers on NBC, Peacock, NBCUniversal Digital Platforms and Versant’s CNBC and USA Network across the combined live afternoon Milan Prime window (2-5 p.m. ET) and U.S. primetime (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) time periods.
“Milan Cortina viewership is the highest for a Winter Games since Sochi 2014 and up 96% from the 2022 Beijing Olympics (12.0 million).”
More data is expected by the end of the week, but there was an important sidenote:
“Over the full Games, Milan Prime (live U.S. daytime) and Primetime in Milan (U.S. primetime) coverage posted a daily streaming TAD [Total Audience Delivery] of 3.3 million viewers across Peacock and NBCU Digital platforms.”
So, on average, 21.2 million watched on television and 3.3 million watched online, daily.
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A report from the Olympic Villages at the Games noted that across the Games period, 785 pounds of pasta, 10,000 eggs, 8,000 cups of coffee, and 12,000 slices of pizza were served every day.
● International Olympic Committee ● The IOC said Saturday that FIFA President – and IOC member – the appearance by Gianni Infantino (SUI) at the Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C. last Thursday is not in violation of any rules on political neutrality.
Infantino announced an agreement for FIFA to invest as much as $75 million in Gaza for “50 FIFA Arena mini-pitches located near schools and residential areas, five full-size pitches across multiple districts, a state-of-the-art FIFA Academy and a new 20,000-seat national stadium” in the next 36 months.
The IOC noted that this development effort is “entirely in keeping with the role of an international sport federation.”
● World Anti-Doping Agency ● WADA announced that Cote d’Ivoire’s national anti-doping agency is now in compliance as the required changes to its procedures to line up with the World Anti-Doping Code have been adopted.
● Alpine Skiing ● American star Lindsey Vonn said her left leg was saved because of her crash in Switzerland right before the Games, causing Dr. Tom Hackett to be at the Winter Games able to perform surgery that saved her left leg from amputation. Per The Associated Press:
“Vonn, who said she is ‘very much immobile,’ is confined to a wheelchair at the moment, but has turned her attention to her rehab and is working her way toward being able to use crutches. She estimated it will take about a year for the bones in her left leg to heal. Only after that will doctors be able to go in and repair the torn ACL, which played no role in the crash.
“‘It’s going to be a long road,’ she said. ‘I always fight and we keep going.’”
● Athletics ● The 2026 world pole vault season really began on Sunday with the All-Star Vault meet in Clermont-Ferrand (FRA) with the top stars in attendance, led by Olympic and World Champion Mondo Duplantis (SWE).
He did not disappoint, taking the world lead at 6.06 m (19-10 1/2), which he made on his first try. He did take three shots at a world record of 6.31 m (20-8 1/2), but failed on each.
Australia’s Kurtis Marschall, the 2025 Worlds bronzer, got a lifetime best of 6.00 m (19-8 1/4) for second, the 18th man to clear the 6 m mark indoors. Third was Greek Emmanouil Karalis, the 2025 World Champs runner-up, at 5.90 m (19-4 1/4) and then American Sam Kendricks (5.80 m/19-0 1/4).
American record holder KC Lightfoot was sixth, also at 5.80 m.
Pari Olympic fifth-placer Amalie Svabikova (CZE) won the women’s vault with a lifetime best of 4.76 m (15-7 1/4) over Slovenian Worlds bronze winner Tina Sutej, Imogen Ayris (NZL) and Marie-Julie Bonnin (FRA), all at the same height.
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The Athletics Integrity Unit is back on the prowl, stating Monday:
“The AIU has banned Mathew Samperu (Kenya) for 3 years from 23 January 2026 for Presence/Use of Prohibited Substance (Testosterone). DQ results from 23 November 2025.”
Samperu is a 2:07:25 marathoner from February 2025, a mark which will stand.
● Gymnastics ● U.S. national All-Around champion Hezly Rivera triumphed in the women’s competition at the USA Gymnastics Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky on Sunday, winning on Beam (14.200) and Floor (14.100) on the way to a 56.750 total.
That was ahead of Charleigh Bullock (55.200), who won on the Uneven Bars (14.400) and Claire Pease (54.350). Reese Esponda was the winner on Vault (14.300).
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At the FIG Trampoline World Cup in Baku (AZE), Russian “neutral” Iana Lebedeva won the women’s Trampoline final, 57.310 to 56.440 over Seljan Mahsudova (AZE), with American Kennedi Roberts in fifth (52.400).
The men’s Trampoline winner was won by Russian “neutral” Andrei Builou over Olympic champ – and Belarus “neutral” – Ivan Litvinovich, 63.550 to 59.520. Isaac Rowley of the U.S. was fourth at 59.110.
● Volleyball ● The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) slapped Brazilian beach star Carol Solberg Salgado – the 2025 Worlds bronze winner – with a
“one-tournament suspension on Carolina Solberg Salgado for a demonstration of a non-sporting nature based on the political statements that she made during her post-match interview on the field of play after the third place match at the Beach Volleyball World Championships Adelaide 2025.”
Salgado, 38, said she was “celebrating” the arrest of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in late November 2025, a political position she has held for years.
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