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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Paralympic Games 2024: Paris ● The International Paralympic Committee announced a record number of delegations will compete in the 2024 Paralympics, with 168 national delegations, four more than the prior high of 164 from London 2012 and Tokyo 2020.
That total includes the eight-member Refugee Paralympic Team but not 96 “neutrals” from Russia (88) and Belarus (8).
The exact number of competitors is still to be confirmed, but it could top the all-time high of 4,393 from Tokyo 2020. According to the IPC:
“China, who have topped the medals table at each Paralympic Games since Athens 2004, boasts the largest delegation with 282 athletes (124 male and 158 female).
“With 255 athletes (138 male, 117 female), Rio 2016 hosts Brazil have the second biggest delegation, followed by host nation France with 237 athletes (155 men and 82 women). …
“The USA will feature 220 athletes (110 male and 110 female), while Great Britain will have 201 (109 male and 92 female).”
The Paralympics open on Wednesday.
● Russia ● The World Friendship Games was supposed to be held in September 2024 as a “friendly” counterpoint to the Paris Olympic Games, but was postponed to 2025. Now it may be postponed again. Dmitry Putilin (RUS), general director of the Friendship Games organizing committee, told reporters on Friday (computer translation from the original Russian):
“We are waiting for the decision of the country’s leadership. We are ready to hold it at any time, we were ready to hold it in 2024.
“The proposal to postpone it came from the International Friendship Association, which is why it is being discussed now. I will say again, in 2025 or 2026 – for us the main thing is not just holding international competitions with a large number of countries – we have already achieved this in the bidding campaign, a large number have already been declared for the Games this year. But we want to raise the level of athletes who will take part in these Games.”
● Athletics ● “It feels special, amazing.”
That was Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, after smashing the world record in the men’s 3,000 m, timing 7:17.55 and destroying a very highly-respected record of 7:20.67 by Kenyan Daniel Komen from 1996 at Sunday’s Diamond League meet in Poland. The Norwegian star continued:
“I was hoping to challenge the world record here, but based on my training, I can never predict exactly what kind of time I am capable of. I would not have imagined I could run 7:17, though.
“At the beginning the pace felt really fast, but then I started to feel my way into the race and found a good rhythm. 3000 is a tough distance. After 4-5 laps you feel the lactic acid, but you need to get going. The conditions were difficult with the heat today, but it is the same for everyone. I have a good team.
“We use ice vests, we make sure I stay hydrated and I am prepared. This meeting is great. The organizers make sure we feel appreciated and are comfortable and that really allows us to perform. Now I want to challenge world records at all distances, but it is one step at a time.”
He already owns the 2,000 m and 3,000 m world records, at age 23.
Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis, who set his 10th world record in the men’s vault at 6.26 m (20-6 1/2), was equally thrilled:
“It almost feels weird and unnatural to get so much love and support from the crowds when I compete. I see that especially in Poland. The energy in this stadium just keeps getting better every year. My first world record also came in Poland, indoors in Torun, so I have great memories from here.
“The track here is wonderful, the conditions today were perfect, everything just came together to allow me to do this. I know a lot of people came here to see me jump, so I wanted to put in a good showing for them. This year I focused on the Olympics, records just came naturally because I was in good shape.
“So I am not surprised with the record today, but I am thankful. It is just about being in good shape and believing you can do it. I always want to jump as high as I possibly can and to keep pushing. I have never hit a jump that felt absolutely perfect, so I always feel like I can do better.”
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More from Chorzow, as the World Athletics report on the meet explained:
“The newly-instituted MVP award to the athlete producing the best performance of the meeting, according to World Athletics points scoring, went to Duplantis, who thus took possession of a 14-carat gold, diamond champion ring worth $10,000 and an additional cheque for the same amount.”
¶
The Jamaica Gleaner reported that Ronald Levy, the Tokyo 2020 bronze winner in the men’s 110 m hurdles, has been banned for four years by the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) effective 1 November 2023.
The decision was issued on 21 August, stating that Levy, 31, “tested positive for the banned substances GW501516-Sulfoxide and GW501516-Sulfone during an out-of-competition test on October 9, 2023.”
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Sad news that Amadeo Francis, a long-time member of the IAAF Council from Puerto Rico, has passed away at age 92 on Sunday.
He competed for Puerto Rico in the 400 m hurdles at the 1948 and 1952 Olympic Games and beyond his work as an economist, had a long career in sports administration. He joined the IAAF Council in 1976, serving until 2007 and was a Vice President from 1999-2007.
Francis was also the head of the National American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) athletics confederation, an important organization for development efforts, especially in Central American and the Caribbean.
● Canoe-Kayak ● The ICF Sprint World Championships were held for non-Olympic events in Samarkand (UZB), with Russian teams winning four events as “neutrals” and Belarusian teams also winning four events.
Among the Olympic stars competing, Olympic men’s C-1 1,000 m winner Martin Fuksa (CZE) finished second in the C-1 500 m to Serghei Tarnovschi (MDA), who won the Paris bronze. Czech Josef Dostal, the Paris K-1 1,000 m winner, took the K-1 500 m in Samarkand, beating two-time Olympic medalist Fernando Pimenta (POR).
● Cycling ● Australian Ben O’Connor’s dramatic solo victory in stage 6 of the 79th Vuelta a Espana put him 4:51 up on the field and 4:51 up on three-time winner Primoz Roglic (SLO).
Roglic is trying to whittle down that lead and gained back almost a minute over the weekend.
He gained nothing on Friday as Belgian star Wout van Aert won stage 7 in the expected mass sprint in 4:15:39 over 180.5 km, finishing in Cordoba. Roglic and O’Connor were also given that time as part of the first group of 33 riders.
On Saturday, a 159 km route to Cazorla with a mid-race climb and an uphill finish, was won by Roglic – his second stage win this year – in a sprint finish with Spain’s Enric Mas. O’Connor was 17th, 46 seconds back, and lost 56 seconds of his lead with the time bonus for Roglic for winning the stage. The lead was 3:49.
On Sunday, a 178.5 km, triple-climb stage with a hard descent to the finish in Granada, British star Adam Yates attacked with 58 km left and soloed to a 1:39 victory over Richard Carapaz (ECU) and 3:45 over O’Connor, with Roglic eighth. No time difference between O’Connor and Roglic, but O’Connor got a four-second bonus for finishing third. So, O’Connor’s lead into Monday’s first rest day is 3:53 over Roglic and 4:32 over Carapaz, with Mas now fourth (+4:25).
Tuesday brings another climbing exercise, a 160 km ride to Baiona, with a major early climb and three smaller ones in the last third. A brutal stretch of climbs and uphill finishes in stages 12 to 16 will go a long way in determining whether O’Connor can win.
● Football ● Swiss broadcaster SRF reported a filing in Swiss court by FIFA against search-engine giant Google, alleging defamation. The suit, in the Zurich commercial court, claims an injury from a search listing on the 10th or further page of a Web site which is strongly negative about FIFA.
From the story:
“FIFA’s lawyer told SRF News that the world football association has no objection to critical media reports. Unlike other media, the website in question does not adhere to any rules and its content goes way beyond the mark. This constitutes a violation of personal rights. FIFA is therefore demanding that the site and its articles no longer appear in Google search results.”
Swiss law may be helpful to FIFA, but the case would have major repercussions for all search engines if FIFA were to prevail. No timetable has been set for the next steps.
● Swimming ● U.S. sprint star Caeleb Dressel told reporters during an appearance at Daytona International Speedway for a NASCAR event that he’s interested in competing at LA28:
“I’m young. I’m feeling good.
“It’s hard right now because when you get done with a championship meet the last thing you want to think about is swimming. That’s why I’m running around in Daytona and having a good time.
“But it has always been one of my dreams to compete on American soil at a championship meet. So, yes, my eyes are on 2028. I don’t think it’s going to be a full-event lineup. I think maybe just the 50 Free, put a little bit more muscle on, don’t have to be in as good a shape. So maybe look forward to just doing the splash-and-dash. That might be a good time for me.”
Dressel, 28, won two relay golds at Rio 2016, five golds – including the 50 m Free and 50-100 m Butterflys – at Tokyo 2020 and two relay golds and a relay silver in Paris. At the Paris Games, he finished sixth in the 50 m Free and did not make the final in the 100 m Fly.
He added:
“Paris was really special. … The amount of American flags and support we got in Paris was unbelievable. I can’t imagine actually having that same thing in the U.S. I think that would just be such a sweet way to end my career.”
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