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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● International Fair Play Committee ● In December 1963, a meeting of representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), International Sports Press Association (AlPS), International Committee for Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) and the International Federations of basketball, football, rugby and wrestling established the “International Committee for the Organisation of the Pierre de Coubertin Fair Play Awards.”
French tennis star Jean Borotra, who won titles at the Australian, French and Wimbledon in the 1920s and ‘30s was elected as the first President, and in January 1965, the first World Fair Play Awards Ceremony was held and has been a fixture since then.
Renamed as the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) in 1973, it now sponsors fair play awards in multiple categories, with letters of congratulations, diplomas and four trophies:
● Pierre de Coubertin World Trophy: an athlete or team for an act of fair play
● Jean Borotra World Trophy: an individual career award
● Willi Daume World Trophy: person or organization promoting fair play
● Fair Play Trophy for the Youth: under the auspices of the IOC President
After a 10-year effort, the United Nations recognized 19 May as “World Fair Play Day” in 2024, and on Monday (19th), the CIFP will present International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (GER) with the Jean Borota World Trophy.
In addition, the CIFP Congress is expected to elect former U.S. board member to the International Monetary Fund Sunil Sabharwal as only its fifth President, and first American; he’s the only candidate, and for good reason.
Sabharwal, 61, was a two-time fencing All-American at Ohio State and has been deeply involved in the Olympic world for decades. He was the chef de mission for the U.S. Olympic fencing squad at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and continues to serve as a member of the World Athletics Executive Board, its business advisory cabinet.
He has served the CIFP as Treasurer and Secretary General for nearly 20 years, and now has the opportunity to lead.
● Anti-Doping ● A new study over more than a year that analyzed beef, chicken and pork samples from retail grocery stories in eight U.S. cities showed the likelihood of purchasing contaminated meat that would lead to a doping violation were essentially zero.
Samples were purchased from six different stores each in Atlanta, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Lubbock, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Seattle, and West Lafayette, Indiana and, after inspection, sent to Texas Tech University and examined by Liquid Chromatography-High Resolution Tandem Mass Spectrometry.
Tests were mounted for 13 different anabolic agents and their metabolites; and “[t]he study found no evidence of prohibited substances like clenbuterol, stanozolol, boldenone, or SARMs in any meat samples.”
The study did not cover restaurants and issues with commercial meat providers.
● Cycling ● There have been only five stages of the 108th Giro d’Italia, but Danish sprint star Mads Pedersen has now won three of them!
He emerged again from the mass sprint finish after 151 km to Matera in 3:27:31, ahead of Edoardo Zambanini (ITA) and two-time Olympic Mountain Bike gold medalist Thomas Pidcock (GBR).
Pedersen holds a 17-second edge over 2023 champ Primoz Roglic (SLO) with American Brandon McNulty in fourth place (+0:31). The first climbing stage comes Friday.
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Retired Australian star Rohan Dennis, 34, a two-time Worlds Time Trial winner and an Olympic medalist both on road (Tokyo 2020) and track (London 2012) received a suspended sentence for the an accident in which his wife died.
He had earlier pled guilty to committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm, after wife Melissa Hopkins, also an Olympic cyclist, had been struck by his car in front of their home on 30 December 2023, following an argument. She died shortly afterward.
Dennis was sentenced to nearly 17 months in jail, with the sentence suspended for two years, and was suspended for driving for five years.
● Football ● FIFA President Gianni Infantino (SUI) spoke at the Saudi-U.S. investment forum in Riyadh on Tuesday, telling attendees:
“Women’s football and women in football are crucially important. The Women’s World Cup, the next one is in Brazil in 2027, and the following one, again, is in North America in 2031.
“It’s growing as well, and exponentially, and we are targeting that as well to have $1 billion revenue just with the Women’s World Cup to reinvest in the women’s game.”
Revenue from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand was reported at $570 million.
● Ice Hockey ● At the IIHF men’s World Championship in Denmark and Sweden, the U.S. moved up in Group B with a 6-5 overtime victory against Norway.
The Americans flew off to a 4-1 lead in the first period, out-shooting the Norwegians by 20-5 and getting scores from Cutter Gauthier (4:50), Clayton Keller (7:18), Tage Thompson (12:34) and Michael McCarron (17:50). The lead was extended to 5-1 with a power-play goal from Thompson, but Norway got two to score to 5-3.
In the third, it was 5-4 as Norway brought on an extra attacker with 2:21 to go and it resulted in a 5-5 tie as defender Stian Solberg got his second score with 1:27 left. The U.S. had wasted a 37-18 shots edge. But in the overtime, Norway suffered a penalty at 3:38 and Thompson got a hat trick at 4:09 to win it.
Germany leads the group at 3-0 (9 points), with the Czech Republic at 3-0 (8 points due to an overtime win) and the U.S. at 8 (3-1, one overtime win), in third place. Group play continues through the 20th.
● Rowing ● An unhappy posting from World Rowing, stating:
“World Rowing has been made aware of a letter, that has been made public, issued by the Brazilian Rowing Confederation (CBR) regarding their unilateral intention to cancel the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals in Rio de Janeiro.
“World Rowing is surprised about this communication, and would like to clarify that this unilateral announcement was made without any consultation or prior agreement of World Rowing and, as World Rowing understands, of other relevant stakeholders, including the Brazilian Olympic Committee, the City of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal Government of Brazil. As such, it does not reflect the current position of World Rowing.”
The federation stated, “World Rowing considers the 2025 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals to take place as planned,” with the dates set for 23-26 October 2025.
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