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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● There are a little less than three years left before the opening of the 2028 Olympic Games, but the work on the creation of the Olympic and Paralympic torches is getting going.
The LA28 organizers have listed a position for a “Manager, Torch Development” with the responsibility “for bridging creative & technical teams to manage the end-to-end process of developing, testing & producing the system of flame devices. …
“We are seeking a highly effective program manager with a technical background to lead a wide-ranging team of experts, driving coordination & ultimate functionality of deliverables, while keeping the program on time & on budget.”
The position pays $85,000-105,000 per year.
● Aquatics ● Two more golds for China in the diving action at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, both in synchronized events.
The men’s 10 m Synchro had Zilong Cheng and Zifeng Zhu with a very tight win, 429.63 to 428.70 over Russian “neutrals” Nikita Shleikher and Ruslan Ternovoi. Americans Joshua Hedberg and Carson Tyler took third, scoring 410.70 and moving up from fourth in the qualifying. It’s the first Worlds medal for Hedberg but second for Tyler, who won a 2022 Worlds Mixed 10 m Synchro bronze.
China’s Yiwen Chen, the Olympic winner in the 3 m and 3 m Synchro in Paris, teamed with Jia Chen to won the women’s 3 m Synchro, scoring 325.20 to 298.35 for Britain’s Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Jensen. The U.S. pair of Bailee Sturgill and Lily Witte finished seventh (261.18).
Yiwen Chen has now won eight Worlds golds and one silver in her career and it’s her fourth women’s 3 m Synchro gold, the first three with Yani Chang, the 2024 World 3 m champ.
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At the World Aquatics Congress in Singapore, federation President Husain Al-Musallam (KUW) introduced a new concept of essentially a “deferred-earnings” fund for athletes:
“World Aquatics will become the first International Federation to introduce a compensation plan for athletes at the end of their careers. We will invest USD 10 million in this programme, supporting athletes from the start of their careers to well beyond.”
According to the announcement, “The fund will provide financial support to athletes upon retirement, based on their sustained participation in World Aquatics events. Those who meet qualification thresholds will receive contributions tied to prize earnings, and a final lump sum upon retirement, helping to ease the often-difficult transition out of elite sport.”
Oh yes, since contributions to the fund will be based on “participation in World Aquatics events,” expect more interest in those.
As far as prize money for the 2025 Worlds in Singapore, the total is $6.00 million, with the individual-event finishers receiving $20,000-15,000-10,000-6,000-5,000-4,000-3,000-2,000 for places 1-8.
Al-Musallam also told delegates that the new federation headquarters in Budapest (HUN) is expected to be completed and open in 2028, including a world-class training center within the facility.
● Biathlon ● Retired biathlon star Laura Dahlmeier (GER), who won 2018 Winter Olympic golds in the women’s Sprint and Pursuit, plus an Individual bronze, has been badly injured during a mountaineering trip in Pakistan.
Now 31, she was hit by falling rock on the Karakoam range in the Kashmir region on Monday, with a search begun on Tuesday in the difficult-to-reach area and now continuing.
● Bobsled & Skeleton ● USA Bobsled & Skeleton is recruiting with its second annual “Slide to Glory” combine in Salt Lake City, Utah on 16 August at the Eccles Field House at the University of Utah.
No experience is required, and anyone can enroll to try the sprinting, jumping and weight drills, with the top-performing man and woman earning a trip to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York for a rookie camp and actual sledding trials.
● Boxing ● World Boxing announced the approval of seven new national federations – Bolivia, Central African Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Israel, Micronesia and Somalia – to bring its total to 118 total members.
Membership in World Boxing is required for a federation to be able to enter qualifying competitions for the Olympic boxing tournament at the 2028 Olympic Games.
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The International Testing Agency announced a provisional suspension of Paris 2024 Olympic 92 kg (heavyweight) gold medalist Lazizbek Mullojunov (UZB), 26, as an out-of-competition sample collected on 11 June 2025 “has returned an [adverse finding] for methasterone metabolites,” a prohibited steroid.
Mullojunov can ask for a testing of his second (B) sample, or the case can move forward as a violation. The ITA is moving ahead with the case under its agreement with World Boxing.
● Cycling ● Dutch stars Lorena Wiebes and Marianne Vos went 1-2 in the Tour de France Femmes for the second straight stage on Tuesday, both crossing the line in 2:54:11 at the end of a sprint in Poitiers in the 130.7 km fourth stage.
Vos maintains a 12-second lead in the race over Wiebes and Kimberley Pienaar, (MRI) with a hilly fifth stage on Wednesday and then the climbing stages beginning on Thursday.
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Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar (SLO) said Tuesday that he will skip the Vuelta a Espana in August, rest from his fourth Tour win and get ready to defend his World Road Championship title in Rwanda in September.
“After such a demanding Tour, we decided it was best to take a break, The Vuelta is, of course, a race I would dearly love to return to. I have fantastic memories there from 2019, but now the body is telling me to rest.”
● Shooting ● A new experiment in the sport is getting ready to launch in November, as the National Rifle Association of India received support from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) for its new “Shooting League of India” venture to debut in November.
The league concept, announced in April, is to feature 6-8 teams in cities, with an 11-day tournament from 20 November to 2 December with 12-shooter, mixed-gender teams competing in six events (10 m & 25 m Pistol, 10 m & 50 m/3 Positions Rifle and Trap and Skeet).
Shooters will receive fees from €5,000 to 10,000 for the tournament, depending on their position in an athlete draft; the goal is to “transform shooting into a mainstream sport by engaging wider audiences and providing a professional platform for athletes.”
Said ISSF President Luciano Rossi (ITA): “The League of India is very important to us and is in the right direction to create publicity for the athletes and help their dream of becoming known around the world.”
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