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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● NBC announced Tuesday that it “is officially sold out of its Olympic inventory, setting a new Winter Olympics ad sales record with more advertisers investing in the upcoming Winter Games than ever before.”
The announcement added:
“Following the massive success of the 2024 Paris Olympics, brands were more eager than ever to commit to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, with over 100 new advertisers investing in the upcoming Games. NBCUniversal also marks the highest linear and digital revenue in Winter Olympics history with the Milan Cortina Games, further showcasing the power of cross platform for brands.”
NBCUniversal also said it has sold all of its ad inventory for February’s NFL Super Bowl LX, and the 2026 NBA All-Star Game to be held in Inglewood, California.
● U.S. Center for SafeSport ● After a lengthy search since the dismissal of Ju’Riese Colon last April, the Center named 1984 Olympic women’s 100 m hurdles gold medalist Benita Fitzgerald Mosley as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 February 2026.
Fitzgerald Mosley brings a wealth of experience in sports and operations, having served as the Chief of Sport Performance for USA Track & Field from 2009-13, as Chief Operating Officer at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee from 2013-16 and then head of Laureus USA from 2016-20.
She does not have a background in law enforcement and will face a significant challenge to revamp SafeSport to not only help protect Olympic-sport athletes, but to improve communications within the case structure and to make investigations shorter, tighter and to come to final determinations more often. Fitzgerald Mosley acknowledged as much in the announcement, noting:
“As an athlete, I felt safe, supported, and strengthened in my career, and I am committed to helping all athletes within the Olympic and Paralympic movement feel that same sense of support. While the Center has moved the needle on athlete safety nationally, my vision is to ensure we are building an organization that athletes can believe in, the staff can be proud of, and the public can trust and respect.”
● Athletics ● LetsRun.com reported that the U.S. entry visas were refused for 23 of 34 applicants for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships this Saturday (10th) by the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia, and that while senior men’s and women’s teams will be running, the refusals have decimated the U-20 teams.
Ethiopian Athletics Federation Secretary General Amensisa Kebede said “at least 14 athletes had their US visa applications rejected and that some coaches and team officials also experienced problems. The majority of rejected applications were from U20 athletes (six men and four women), but Kebede said four senior athletes also had their applications rejected, including two members of Ethiopia’s 4 x 2k mixed relay.”
Consequently, the Ethiopian U-20 men’s team will have only one men’s entry and three women’s entries, insufficient to score as a team, which requires four finishers. Ethiopia’s junior men had won three of the last six team titles and the women had won five in a row.
Ethiopia was able to recruit senior athletes with existing U.S. visas and fill out their teams for the senior men’s, women’s and mixed relay races.
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The Athletics Integrity Unit announced its first suspension of 2026, actually a decision from 22 December 2025 of then-36-year-old Saudi distance runner Yousef Mohammed Al-Asiri for 10 years.
He was tested twice during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou (CHN) and both samples were found to contain the banned substances darbepoetin (“dEPO”) and recombinant erythropoetin (“EPO”). He was provisionally suspended as of 23 September 2023.
His appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was denied and as to sanctions, as he had also had a doping positive and a two-year ban in 2014, a 12-year suspension was requested by the AIU. The penalty was shortened to 10 years by the arbitrator.
● Biathlon ● US Biathlon named its 2026 Milan Cortina team following time trials in Antholz (ITA), with Worlds silver medalist Campbell Wright going to his second Games, but first for the U.S.; he represented New Zealand in 2022.
Alaskan Maxime German will make his Olympic debut on the men’s team, along with Paul Schommer (second Games) and Sean Doherty (fourth).
The women’s team includes Deedra Irwin, going to her second Games, Luci Anderson (first), Joanne Reid (third) and Margie Freed (first).
● Freestyle Skiing ● American Winter Vinecki claimed a win in the third leg of the FIS Freestyle World Cup Aerials tour, in Lac-Beauport (CAN), scoring 93.58 against 81.78 for Canada’s Marion Thenault. Emma Weiss (GER: 79.33) took the bronze with Tasia Tanner of the U.S. in fourth (73.95).
Vinecki, 27, won her fifth individual Aerials World Cup title, with her last also at Lac-Beauport in February 2024.
Two-time Worlds team medalist Dmytro Kotovski (UKR) won his first World Cup medal of the season with a victory in the men’s competition, scoring 131.56 to best Jiaxu Sun (CHN: 125.97) and two-time Worlds silver winner, American Quinn Dehlinger (125.53).
A second round of Aerials will be held on Wednesday.
● Ski Jumping ● Austria’s two-time Worlds Team medalist Daniel Tschofenig won the final leg of the Four Hills Tournament, in Bischofshofen (AUT) off the 142 m hill, scoring 303.9 points, with Slovenian star Domen Prevc finishing second at 299.8, edging Japanese star Ryoyu Kobayashi (299.6).
Prevc was the easy winner of the Four Hills title – his first – with a total of 1,195.6 points to 1,153.3 for Jan Hoerl (AUT) and 1,150.6 for Stefan Embacher (AUT).
The organizers made a major announcement, with the 2026-27 Four Hills to include women in the program for the first time, with floodlights for night competitions to be installed in Innsbruck.
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At the women’s FIS World Cup jumping in Villach (AUT: 98 m hill), Slovenia’s World Champion Nika Prevc – Domen’s younger sister – took the win for the second straight day with 248.7 points, winning the first round and then second on her second jump. Austria’s Lisa Eder was second for the second straight day (248.1) and won the second round. Agnes Reisch (GER: 240.9) was third.
Josie Johnson was the leading American finisher, in 15th (212.6).
● Speed Skating ● US Speedskating announced its 2026 Olympic team following the conclusion of its Olympic Trials, with six-time World Champion Jordan Stolz and defending Olympic 500 m champ Erin Jackson leading the charge.
The men’s team starts with Stolz in the 500-1,000-1,500 m-Mass Start, where he will be a favorite or co-favorite in all four races. The world-record Team Pursuit squad of Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson and Emery Lehman are also medal favorites, with all three also in individual events. Zach Stoppelmoor and Cooper Mcleod will compete in the 500 m and Conor Mcdermott-Mostowy and Mcleod will be in the 1,000 m.
Jackson will race in the 500 and 1,000 m; six-time Worlds gold medalist Brittany Bowe will go in the 1,000 and 1,500 m and in the Team Pursuit, with Giorgia Birkeland, Mia Manganello and Greta Myers. Manganello is also a medal threat in the Mass Start and Myers will also contest the 1,500 m and Mass Start. Sarah Warren will race as the second American at 500 m.
This is one of the strongest teams in U.S. history; in this century, the U.S. won eight medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, then seven at Turin 2006. But the total went to four at Vancouver 2010, zero in 2014, one in 2018 and then three at Beijing 2022. Something closer to 2002 and 2006 is hoped for this time.
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