★ The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.★
★ To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here! ★
≡ SPOTLIGHT ≡
● Weightlifting ● Lots of world records and more North Korean gold at the IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Forde (NOR), plus a sensational U.S. win on Wednesday.
In the women’s 69 kg class on Tuesday, North Korea scored its fifth win in a row, with Kuk-hyang Song winning both lifts and the combined title, with world records in the Snatch (120 kg), Clean & Jerk (150 kg) and the total (270 kg). All three marks had been set by American Olivia Reeves in Colombia in July. Colombian Julieth Rodriguez was a distant second at 241 kg combined.
On Wednesday, the women’s new 77 kg class debuted, with new records available for performances over the challenging minimums of 122, 154 and 274 kg combined.
The U.S.’s Reeves, the 71 kg gold medalist at Paris 2024, moved up in weight and dominated, not just taking her second Worlds gold – also in 2024 at 71 kg – but grabbing all three world records at 123 kg (Snatch), 155 kg (Clean & Jerk) and 278 kg combined.
Egypt’s Sara Ahmed was a distant second at 252 kg combined and Mattie Rogers of the U.S. was fourth overall (247 kg), but took third in the Clean & Jerk.
The world records continued in the men’s new 88 kg class, with Colombia’s Yeison Lopez, the Paris 2024 89 kg silver winner, getting a world record in the Snatch (177 kg) and the overall (387 kg) to win his first Worlds gold. North Korean Kwang-ryol Ro got the world mark in the Clean & Jerk (215 kg) and was second overall (377 kg). Brandon Victorian of the U.S. was 10th (340 kg).
The tournament continues through Saturday.
≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● As expected, the Los Angeles City Council confirmed without comment on Tuesday the amended draft ordinance from its Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) committee:
“The draft ordinance provide a planning and zoning exemption for temporary projects and land uses that are sanctioned projects, cleared by the Mayor’s Office of Major Events, City Administrative Officer (CAO), and the Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA), in consultation with other governmental agencies and/or LA28, directly tied to the successful delivery of the Games.”
The intended temporary project definition includes:
● “Any supporting facilities, installations, uses, and/or activities that serve athletes, officials, spectators, visitors, and/or residents at approved competition venues or non-competition venues necessary to host Olympic and/or Paralympic events, including but not limited to, training facilities, security perimeters, broadcast and media centers, transit infrastructure, live sites and fan zones.”
● “An Olympic and/or Paralympic Project seeking planning and zoning exemption built or implemented solely for the Games and dismantled and/or removed after the conclusion of the Games and no later than February 27, 2029.”
Next up is the review of the ordinance itself, now to be drafted and returned for approval to the Los Angeles City Planning Commission and if approved, to the Council.
The ordinance plan is in parallel to an ordinance passed in 1984 to assist the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee in staging the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad that year.
¶
Give the Dutch credit for getting organized early, as nearly 30 national sports federations sent staff to Mission Viejo to check on facilities to be used for their Olympic and Paralympic Games teams for pre-Games training in 2028. And:
“[T]he City and TeamNL officially signed a cooperative working agreement between both organizations for the next four years resulting in a significant investment in our City for the benefit of Mission Viejo hotels, restaurants, facilities, stores and other businesses.”
In terms of the visit itself, the tours included “the Marguerite Aquatics Complex and Tennis Pavilion, Saddleback College, Trabuco Hills High School, Mission Viejo High School, Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Lake Mission Viejo, Oso Creek Golf Course, the Storm MMA Training Center, Norman Murray Senior and Community Center plus numerous athletic fields and running trails throughout Mission Viejo.”
● Aquatics ● World Aquatics broke ground on its new headquarters in Budapest (HUN), which will include offices, a training center with pools and athlete housing.
Scheduled to be opened in mid-2028, the project is part of a larger development by Southblaze Ltd., that will include residential housing, a park and additional office buildings.
● Athletics ● Jamaican sprint star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce formally announced her retirement in an Instagram post on Tuesday, writing in part:
“This sport has given me joy beyond measure. It has shaped me, disciplined me, and carried me to heights I could only dream of as a young girl in Waterhouse. …
“I know my race is not finished; it is simply a lane change. This new chapter is about passing on the lessons the sport has given me, using my voice to advocate for others, and helping the next generation shine even brighter.”
She also paid tribute to her home country’s passionate fans:
“To my fellow Jamaicans – thank you for your unyielding love, loyalty and pride that have propelled me year after year. It has been the greatest honor to carry our flag across the world. We may be small, but we are mighty, and I am humbled to have represented the strength of our nation on the global stage.”
Now 38, she retired as a five-time World 100 m champion, two-time Olympic women’s 100 m champion and the winner of eight Olympic medals (3-4-1) and 17 World Championships medals (10-6-1). Her 100 m best of 10.60 from 2021 ranks her no. 3 all-time.
¶
Ugandan distance runner Belinda Chemutai (15:23.48 for 5,000 m in 2023) was hit with a second doping violation and another three-year sanction. She was initially banned from 11 April 2025 to 10 April 2028 for a positive test from 1 October 2023, for testosterone. On 28 February 2025, she gave an out-of-competition sample and that came back for testosterone as well, resulting in another three-year ban starting on 11 April 2028! In both cases, she earned a one-year reduction from the normal four-year suspension by admitting her drug use.
● Cricket ● As part of its response to its suspension by the International Cricket Council, USA Cricket filed last week for bankruptcy:
“USA Cricket, the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport, today announced it has voluntarily filed for financial reorganization under Chapter 11, Subchapter V of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This aggressive, but necessary legal move is the best path forward to ensure the future of American cricket.”
In significant part, the filing reflects the 21 August 2025 termination of the federation’s 50-year contract with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) from 2019, which was stated to be causing “financial strain and operational interference.” USA Cricket’s statement noted that ACE promised to deliver six (6) ICC grade stadiums by 2025, but has provided one so far.
In July, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee reportedly asked all of USA Cricket’s independent directors to resign, or it will not open applications for USOPC recognition of a National Governing Body for cricket (for which the USOPC has none currently).
● Football ● Bad behavior was all over the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying matches in September, with the new FIFA disciplinary report listing 72 violations, with nine warnings and 63 fines from CHF 1,000 up to 80,000, the latter against the Football Association of Serbia for its 9 September loss (0-5) in Belgrade vs. England for:
“Discrimination and racist abuse, Failure to ensure that law and order are maintained in and around the stadiums and that matches are organised properly, Use of laser pointers or similar electronic devices, Use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit a message that is not appropriate for a sports event, Causing a disturbance during national anthems, Lack of order or discipline observed in or around the stadium”
The Serbian federation also received a 20% reduction in fan attendance for its next match and a prevention plan for the future.
Penalized federations or countries whose players were sanctioned included (44): Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, El Salvador, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kosovo, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Niger, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, and Zambia.
Warnings were issued to Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Cyprus, England, Equatorial Guinea, Latvia, Morocco and Portugal.
¶
Volunteer interest for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. is high, with more than a million applications for the 65,000 volunteers expected to be needed next year. From the minimum age of 18, applications have been received from individuals as old as 92.
The volunteer application window will end on 10 October.
● Skating ● Although the International Skating Union has agreed to allow Russian and Belarusian “neutrals” to compete in qualifying events for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, it is not ready to head to either country.
In response to reports that the Russian Skating Union wanted to apply to host ISU World Cup competitions in 2026, the ISU replied to the Russian news agency TASS:
“There will be no international competitions in Russia and Belarus until further notice.”
● Wrestling ● American referee Casey Goessi was honored as one of the top officials worldwide during the UWW World Championships in Zagreb (CRO), selected to receive a United World Wrestling “Golden Whistle Award.”
It was Goessi’s ninth Worlds, this time as a lead referee, concerned with jury review and quality control. The other winners were Zaza Jibladze (GEO) and Marius Cimpoeru (ROU). It’s the eighth time a U.S. official has been awarded a Golden Whistle.
Goessi started officiating at the national level in 1996 and as an international official in 2004.
¶
★ Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here.
★ Sign up a friend to receive the TSX Recap by clicking here.
★ Please consider a donation here to keep this site going.
For our updated, 850-event International Sports Calendar for 2025, 2026 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!
