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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Paralympic Games 2024: Paris ● The Paris 2024 organizers announced that 1.7 million tickets out of a total of 2.6 million available have been sold so far, with 700,000 sold since the beginning of the 2024 Olympic Games on 26 July.
French buyers have purchased 92% of the tickets so far, but sales have been made to individuals and groups from 144 countries. The top markets outside of France, so far, are Great Britain (27% of the foreign sales), Germany (14%), the U.S. (10%), Belgium (7%) and The Netherlands (5%).
The Paralympic Games open on 28 August.
● World University Games ● Mascot fans, check out “Wanda,” a Peregrine falcon introduced as the mascot of the 2025 World University Games in Rhone-Ruhr (GER). From the announcement:
“[T]he graceful bird now mainly inhabits the industrial landscape along the Rhine and in the Ruhr region. With a speed of over 320 km/h [~200 mph], the peregrine falcon is also the fastest animal in the world and thus symbolises the high performance achieved at the Games.”
The “Wanda” name was one of 50 suggested by the Rhine-Ruhr organizing committee staff – a play on its German name, “wanderfalke” – and was included in the final list of four, voted on via Instagram.
● Athletics ● Sweden’s Olympic men’s vault champ Mondo Duplantis returned to competition in the Olympic capital of Lausanne (SUI), winning the in-city vault with a meet record of 6.15 m (20-2).
Competing on the shores of Lake Leman, Duplantis won the event at 6.00 m (19-8 1/4), then added to his own meet record, but even though supported by an estimated 5,000 fans, decided not to try for another world record given less-than-perfect conditions.
Two-time World Champion Sam Kendricks of the U.S. was second at 5.92 m (19-5). The rest of the Athletissima meet comes on Thursday.
● Baseball ● Pools for the 2026 World Baseball Classic were announced, with play in Houston, Miami, San Juan in Puerto Rico and Tokyo, Japan:
● Pool A (San Juan): Canada, Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico, and a yet-to-be qualified team.
● Pool B (Houston): Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, United States, qualifier.
● Pool C (Tokyo): Australia, Czech Republic, Japan, Korea, qualifier.
● Pool D (Miami): Dominican Republic, Israel, Netherlands, Venezuela, qualifier.
Pool play is slated for 5-11 March, followed by quarterfinals in Houston and Miami and semifinals and the 17 March finals in Miami.
● Cycling ● With a sloping finish into Seville at the end of the 177.0 km route, stage 5 of the 79th Vuelta a Espana was going to be a mass sprint – and it was – with 21-year-old Czech rider Pavel Bittner getting his first career Vuelta stage victory (and his first win on the UCI World Tour) with a bike throw at the line. Stage three winner Wout van Aert (BEL) was second and Australia’s Kaden Groves, the stage two victor, was third, as the first 150 riders recorded the same time of 4:25:28.
Three-time winner Primoz Roglic (SLO) continues as the race leader, by eight seconds over Joao Almeida (POR) and 32 seconds up on Enric Mas (ESP).
● Football ● In a move to reduce in-stadium violence between “fans,” the Cyprus Football Association has instituted a limit of 800 supporters for visiting teams for 10 of the 14 teams in the first-division league.
The Cyprus government wanted a complete ban on traveling fans, but has agreed on 800 for “high risk” games until laws on fan violence are revised. Marios Hartsiotis, the national justice minister, said in an interview:
“Soccer is a celebration and I say again, this celebration shouldn’t turn into a fighting ring, or a war, or a battle that puts lives at risk.”
● Swimming ● SwimSwam.com reported on unhappy letters from coaching associations written to the USA Swimming Board of Directors, concerned with the direction of the sport in the U.S. From the American Swimming Coaches Association letter:
“Our observations of the Paris Olympics show that parity is the new norm in international swimming competition. The rest of the world has continually raised their bar, investing in high performance and increasing their support of athletes. While competition is healthy and brings out the best in our own athletes and coaches, there is no doubt that the United States is being challenged more than ever. The opportunity to perform our very best at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and enhance our presence at the top of the medal table begins immediately.
“The American Swimming Coaches Association is deeply concerned with current USA Swimming membership trends, our perceived weaker performance on the world stage, and significant coach feedback expressing dissatisfaction with our national governing body. We see the next four years being some of the most important in our sports history domestically.
“We are calling for a well-designed and transparent quad plan, from the grassroots to national team levels, that allows our sport to capitalize on the next four years, culminating with a home Olympics.”
The letter added, “We are asking for, and expecting, reflection and change,” including the appointment of an “experienced and accomplished coach” to head the national team program.
The USA Swimming Coaches Advisory Council letter to the Board noted six concerns, including “Membership and retention rates continue to decline, and an increasing number of swimmers are leaving USA Swimming for AAU” and a “General distrust toward USA Swimming leadership.”
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