Home2024 Olympic GamesTSX REPORT: Paris 2024 offers 400,000+ new tickets; Paris mayor Hidalgo says transport and homeless issues unsolved;...

TSX REPORT: Paris 2024 offers 400,000+ new tickets; Paris mayor Hidalgo says transport and homeless issues unsolved; Russia looking to 2028

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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Paris 2024 offering 400,000+ more Olympic tickets on 30 November
2. Paris Mayor Hidalgo says “not ready” on transit and homeless
3. Russia preparing for LA28, not expecting 2024-26 admission
4. Ukraine’s Abramenko puts 2018-22 medals up for auction
5. IBA’s Kremlev all about money, not Olympics

● The Paris 2024 organizers announced a new sale of 400,000-plus tickets for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with newly-released tickets available for all sessions. It’s first-come, first-served starting on 30 November at 10 a.m. local time!

● Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the city will not be ready with complete solutions to transportation or homelessness by the time of the Paris 2024 Games, drawing a quick slap back from the national transportation minister. The French army is gearing to provide 15,000 troops in Paris and elsewhere to assist with security in 2024.

● The director general of the Russian Olympic Committee said their focus was on Los Angeles 2028 rather than Paris 2024 or Milan-Cortina 2026. The head of the Russian Swimming Federation said Russian participation in Paris is “unlikely.”

● Ukrainian Aerials star Oleksandr Abramenko puts his 2018 Olympic Winter gold and 2022 silver medals on auction to help his family and Ukrainian military.

● International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev focused more on money than on being de-recognized by the International Olympic Committee at a Paris press conference, but still blames the IOC for IBA’s problems.

World Championships: Football (Germany and France still perfect and into FIFA U-17 World Cup quarters) ●

Panorama: Paris 2024 (Greek Olympic champ Douskos will carry the torch first) = Olympic Games (will SpoGOMI be a future Olympic sport?) = Athletics (2: Crouser world record from May finally ratified; Uganda’s Chemusto hit for doping) = Boxing (World Boxing announces 2024 event schedule) = Cycling (German Le Tour winner Ullrich admits doping) = Equestrian (FEI lost more than CHF 6 million on investments in 2022, killing operating surplus) = Football (2: fighting breaks out at Argentina-Brazil World Cup qualifier in Rio; FIFA Women’s World Cup teams playing in Australia hit with 32.5% tax vs. none in New Zealand) = Shooting (ISSF World Cup Final has eight winners from eight countries so far) = Swimming (4: Ledecky, Douglass and Murphy named at Golden Goggles; Nowicki salutes Team USA impact; U.S. to send 18 to 2024 Worlds; Coughlin elected Vice Chair of USA Swimming) = Weightlifting (U.S.’s Morris sets American Records at World Juniors) ●

1.
Paris 2024 offering 400,000+ more Olympic tickets on 30 November

“There are new tickets for all sessions, including those that were sold out. This includes tickets that had been secured before the capacity for each competition site became definitive.”

As the planning for any major event, like the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, becomes more detailed, spaces that were held for contingencies like camera placements and security, are cleared and tickets can be offered.

The Paris 2024 organizers announced Wednesday a release of 400,000-plus tickets for all sports and all sessions that will go on sale on 30 November at 10 a.m. Central European Time, on a first-come, first-served basis.

The announcement confirmed that all sports are on sale, including Opening Ceremony tickets for €90-250-500 (€1 = $1.09 U.S.), with one-third at €50 or less and almost two-thirds at €100 or less. Also:

● Athletics will have 30,000 new tickets available.
● Basketball has 7,300 tickets available for Paris-area games.
● Equestrian has 14,000 new tickets available.
● Fencing will offer about 5,000 new tickets
● Judo, already popular, has 2,000 new tickets on offer.
● Swimming, which had been sold out, has 6,000 tickets available.
● Tennis has 24,000 new tickets on offer.

Closing Ceremony tickets will be offered at €45-250-600. A large number of Paralympic Games tickets are also available.

There will be additional ticket releases in 2024, but of varying size as tickets held for use by sponsors, news media and officials are made available. But this new release will be the last time that seats for all sessions will be available … while they last. Paris 2024 reported in May that it had sold about 6.8 million of the 10 million tickets expected to be available for the Olympic Games.

2.
Paris Mayor Hidalgo says “not ready” on transit and homeless

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is nothing if not visible. She appeared on the “Quotidien” program on the TMC television channel and made a strong statement:

“Two things for which we are not going to be ready,” then naming “transport” and “sheltering people without a fixed address.

And she added:

“We still have problems in daily transport issues and we are still not reaching the comfort and punctuality needed for Parisians. There are places where the transport will not be ready and there will not be enough trains.”

She got a quick reply from the French Transportation Minister, Clement Beaune, who answered on X (ex-Twitter):

“Mrs Hidalgo is not there, does not participate in work meetings but has an opinion for others. What respect she has for our public officials and for Parisians!”

And he added on Thursday:

“Anne #Hidalgo adds dishonesty to indignity. The commitments we made for #JOP2024 will be kept. Despite herself.”

And Ile-de-France regional President Valerie Pecresse added:

“We will be ready. It is an immense collective work which should not be tarnished by an absent mayor. …

“We would have appreciated the presence of Anne Hidalgo on the mobility committees of the Olympic and Paralympic Games if she has any proposals to make on transport.”

Hidalgo has been under pressure for an undisclosed extension of an official trip to Tahiti in October.

French Army General Christophe Abad, the military governor of Paris, said Thursday that the military was prepared to offer 15,000 troops – 10,000 in the Paris area – in support of the 2024 Paris Games. The Associated Press reported:

“The military force of 15,000 nationwide will incorporate 7,000 troops already deployed on anti-terrorism patrols at transport hubs and other busy or sensitive sites, including places of worship, Abad said. The military could also be called upon to contribute additional troops if Paris Games organizers fall short in their efforts to recruit more private security staff.”

3.
Russia preparing for LA28, not expecting 2024-26 admission

The Director General of the Russian Olympic Committee said Thursday that he does not envision that Russian athletes will participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, or 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, but it looking ahead to Los Angeles in 2028.

Vladimir Sengleyev explained:

“We have been expecting that the situation will unfold this way and we started preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The International Olympic Committee has not voiced yet any legal decisions regarding these Games.”

“We also believe that the United States would not let their allies host us in Paris and Milan, but they can afford anything for themselves. The most vivid example was the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit [in San Francisco], which was attended by a delegation from Russia.

“Americans always want to have wins over Russians, we hope for this and we are getting prepared.”

He did say that he believed that Russian athletes will be able to compete at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar (SEN) in 2026.

Sengleyev also noted how much harsher the sanctions are now than for the Russian teams for prior Games where they competed under special conditions:

“In South Korea [2018 Winter] and China [2022 Winter], the word ‘Russia’ in the name of our teams was there, we were representatives of Russia. And that neutral status was not really a neutral status, we represented Russia, an Olympic delegation was formed, there were no restrictions. The second interesting point is that in order to get neutral status now, the athlete and coach have to pass a verification, the most interesting thing is that it is a paid verification.

“There are a lot of hidden things organizationally and financially that our athletes will not receive. They cannot be representatives of the ROC or any other legal entity, in fact athletes have been banned from being seconded from our organizations. The law on physical culture and sports does not define the status of a neutral athlete, and we have no rights to send an athlete.

“Previously, the ban on the use of flags applied to venues, we all remember what the solemn meetings of the delegation were like. Now they have entered our territory, they want our athletes to have nothing to do with Russia, everywhere they write: ‘an athlete with a Russian passport.’”

As for the appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the ROC over the IOC’s suspension, Sengleyev was not expecting a prompt resolution:

“I am confident that the CAS will drag out its decision on this issue. They are reluctant to listen to our cases. These are their machinations and we understand this.”

Russian Swimming Federation President Vladimir Salnikov, himself a four-time Olympic champion, said he does not see his swimmers participating in Paris:

“The current conditions make the participation of Russians in the Olympics unlikely.

“They say to send a leg first, then an arm, and after that they will allow full admission. This is, of course, a joke, we are having a dialogue, but the current criteria do not give us the opportunity to fully perform. There must be conditions for everyone equal, if we say that everyone is equal, but there are those who are more equal, then this is called discrimination.”

4.
Ukraine’s Abramenko puts 2018-22 medals up for auction

“[H]e pledges to donate a portion of the auction proceeds to relief efforts at home and provide much-needed aid and supplies for Ukrainians in need.”

That’s from the auction description of Ukrainian freestyle skier Oleksandr Abramenko, 35, who has offered his PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games gold medal in men’s Aerials and his silver medal from the Beijing 2022 Winter Games in the same event.

Abramenko wrote in a message for the sale:

“I am selling them now to help my country during the war. Auctioning the medals was not an easy decision to make. They are really very valuable for me and for the sporting history of Ukraine. But like any other Ukrainian, I help the military meet their urgent needs. Furthermore, many people have suffered from the war, some have lost everything and are also in need of financial assistance.”

These were the only medals won by Ukraine at both Games. The auction continues through 2 December, with the 2018 gold starting with a minimum bid of $10,000 and at $16,016 on Thursday. The Beijing silver started at $5,000 and was at $7,321 on Thursday.

The auction also includes multiple Olympic medals from 1912 to 2014 and the gaudy 1936 IOC “chain of office” given to International Olympic Committee members.

5.
IBA’s Kremlev all about money, not Olympics

“We must change things so that people are able to practice more sports. Parents who send their children to a sports club must be sure that their children can earn a living from sports and when parents realize this, I think that everyone will then start to practice sport.”

Money. That was the primary talking point for International Boxing Association President Umar Kremlev (RUS) at a news conference organized in Paris last week to promote the IBA. Appearing with French Olympic champ Estelle Mossely, the Rio 2016 women’s Lightweight winner, and Sofian Oumiha, France’s three-time men’s Lightweight World Champion, Kremlev was asked repeatedly about the IBA’s de-recognition by the IOC and its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

But his replies had less vitriol than in past sessions and he spoke incessantly about the need to pay boxers:

“I hope that [the IOC] will be providing funding and I hope there will be pure gold medals. And so we hope that they will be providing prize money, because for the Olympic Games, it’s a huge draw, and it is the athletes that draw the viewers, not the IOC.”

He continued his delusional line about boxing’s status in the Olympic Games, saying at one point:

“Boxing is one of the cornerstones of the Olympic Movement, it is one of the two main sports at the Olympic Games. In the world, two sports are the most popular and attract millions of people in the world: football – soccer – and boxing. …

“If you remove boxing from the Olympic Games, boxers are not going to be the ones to lose out, but the Olympic Games are going to be less popular because boxing is the most popular sport. Look at professional boxers, they are much more popular than Olympic boxers. Those are just statistics.

“So whatever happens, boxing is not going to lose out. There’s also professional boxing where boxers can become global stars. The Olympic Games is about representing your own country; it is amateur sports.”

As for the appeal of IOC’s withdrawal of recognition of his federation:

“Well, we’re not very worried about that. We’re concerned more so for our boxers. We have legal experts that are responsible for this case. We support our tournaments, our boxers, we support also their participation in the Olympic Games.

“As it relates to the decision of the IOC, we believe that this decision was unfair, but we have legal experts who are dealing with this. We will be defending our rights, and if this doesn’t work with the [Court of Arbitration for Sport], we have a court in Switzerland that we can refer to, to defend our cause.

“But we will not allow for boxing’s destiny to be decided for it, it should be decided by boxers themselves. At the moment, even following the ruling or the decision handed down by the IOC, it’s not the Olympic Family that took this decision, but rather Olympic officials that have pushed this decision, because we can’t make decisions without meeting one another, without holding discussions.

“Again, we harbor no anger as it relates to this decision, but in boxing, often we say you have to take two steps back in order to have a knockout. Sometimes you come out on top, sometimes you come out second. Every boxer knows this, but boxing is our life and we’re going to be defending our rights, and that you can be sure of.”

And he continued to blame the IOC for the troubles suffered by the IBA (and predecessor AIBA) at the hands of AIBA President C.K. Wu (TPE), who was also an IOC member.

≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Football ● The quarterfinals have been set for the FIFA men’s U-17 World Cup in Indonesia, taking place on Friday and Saturday:

Friday, 24 November:
● Brazil (3-1) vs. Argentina (3-1)
● Spain (3-0-1) vs. Germany (4-0)

Saturday, 25 November:
● France (4-0) vs. Uzbekistan (2-1-1)
● Mali (3-1) vs. Morocco (3-1)

The semis will be played on 28 November in Surakarta on the island of Java, with the final in the same venue on 2 December. Brazil is the defending champion from 2019, with France winning the bronze.

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● The 2024 Olympic Torch Relay will begin in Greece on 16 April, with Stefanos Douskos, the Tokyo 2020 men’s Single Sculls gold medalist, to be the first torchbearer.

The torch will move through Greece for 11 days, with Ioannis Fountoulis, a Tokyo 2020 men’s water polo silver medalist, the final torchbearer in Greece on 8 May. Within Greece, 600 torchbearers are expected to run with the flame across 500 km. The torch will proceed to France on 8 May with a 68-day relay to follow, using 10,000 torchbearers.

● Olympic Games: Future ● Mark it down as a new event destined to try for Olympic inclusion given the IOC’s push for environmental support: SpoGOMI. Per Japan’s Kyodo News:

“Britain on Wednesday won the first World Cup of a Japanese-invented sport scored on the basis of the variety and amount of litter collected.

“Host Japan finished runner-up as 21 participating countries collected litter in Tokyo’s Shibuya and Omotesando districts for 45 minutes each in the morning and afternoon.”

A total of 548 kg (more than 1,200 pounds) was collected.

The sport, launched in 2008, is called ‘SpoGOMI,’ derived from the word ‘sport’ and ‘gomi’ – the Japanese word for trash.”

● Athletics ● At long last, the 23.56 m (77-3 3/4) world record for U.S. shot put star Ryan Crouser from the L.A. Grand Prix back in May was ratified by World Athletics.

The long delay came from questions about the shot ring at UCLA’s Drake Stadium, originally a practice facility when it opened in 1969, but now used for competitions since a 1999 renovation added a regulation soccer field in the infield area. A survey had to be undertaken to ensure it complied with World Athletics rules, and after a long delay, was completed and the facility certified.

World marks were also approved from the Diamond League Final in Eugene by Mondo Duplantis (SWE) in the men’s vault at 6.23 m (20-5 1/4) and the 14:00.21 by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay in the women’s 5,000 m.

More doping suspensions from the Athletics Integrity Unit, including 4.01.79 women’s 1,500 m runner Janat Chemusto (UGA), banned for four years for the use of norandrosterone, with her results nullified since 13 May 2023. Her best reverts to 4:08.5 from March.

Fouad Idbafdil of Morocco, a member of the Athlete Refugee Team and an 8:34.72 Steepler, was provisionally suspended for use of Erythropoietin (EPO).

● Boxing ● The new World Boxing federation will meet for its founding Congress on Friday and Saturday in Frankfurt (GER) and announced a 2024 competition schedule for 2024 on Thursday.

A four-stage World Boxing Cup will be held in Sheffield, England on 16-21 January, followed by second event in Pueblo, Colorado (USA) from 14-21 April. A third stage is scheduled for September and a finals event in England in November or December.

A “World Boxing Challenge” series is also scheduled, with three stages. The organization’s first world championships will be for U-19 boxers in the fall of 2024.

● Cycling ● The 2000 Olympic road race gold medalist and three-time World Champion, retired German cyclist Jan Ullrich publicly admitted doping in a panel discussion Wednesday in advance of the premiere of an Amazon Prime Video documentary, “Jan Ullrich – The Hunted.”

Now 49, Ullrich said:

“If I had shared my story earlier, I could have enjoyed many happy years. I lacked the courage. It’s liberating to finally admit it.”

He said that doping came into his Telekom team beginning in 1996 and increased in sophistication from there. At the time, cycling was rife with doping, most famously by American Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour de France from 1999-2005, but has been stripped of those wins.

Ullrich won the Tour de France in 1997, was second in 1996 and 1998, and was second to Armstrong in 2000-01-03 and third in 2005. The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed his doping offenses in February 2012 and his results from May 2005 were erased, including a third-place finish at the 2005 Tour de France.

At his Wednesday appearance, Ullrich said he took to doping because so many others were at the time:

“Knowing that you don’t stand a chance from the start was the most challenging aspect. I’ve always been fair and never sought to deceive or gain an advantage.”

● Equestrian ● The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) concluded its General Assembly in Mexico City (MEX) with 96 federations attending in person or online, with FEI President Ingmar de Vos (BEL) noting significant rule changes, added research on horse health and concerns over finances:

“It was no surprise that 2023 was going to be challenging. General uncertainty in the global markets, rising costs and inflation in a post Covid era and the ongoing war in Ukraine inevitably had a toll on the FEI’s financial results for 2022.

“With a loss on our portfolio of almost 6million, we were able to limit the damage and absorb an important part of this loss, so that we are left with a final deficit of [CHF] 2.5 million. This had been anticipated to an extent, but I do want to reassure you that the FEI remains financially healthy.”

The financial statements showed total revenues of CHF 54.60 million for 2022, against expenses of CHF 50.98 million – a surplus of CHF 3.62 million – but a yearly loss of CHF 2.50 million after investment losses of CHF 6.12 million. The FEI ended 2022 with assets of CHF 72.18 million and reserves of CHF 20.58 million. The federation is not overly dependent on IOC television money for its survival, but has limited reserves.

De Vos also pointed to a significant increase in listed equestrian events in 2023, to 4,832, beyond the pre-pandemic levels and expected to rise to 4,923 for 2024.

The FEI Board approved the participation of Russian and Belarusian participation as “neutrals,” but without any specifics. The move was met with a formal statement of protest from 10 European nations, which was noted, but not acted upon.

● Football ● Violence among fans was again showcased with a brawl at the famed Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) on Tuesday in advance of a FIFA men’s World Cup qualifying match between Argentina and Brazil.

The clash between supporters of the two teams took place at one end, just after the national anthems concluded, and saw police using their batons. Argentine star and captain Lionel Messi pulled his team from the field and moved to the locker room for 22 minutes in a bid to restore calm.

It worked, more or less, and the match was played, a tense affairs with 42 total fouls and a stunning 1-0 win for Argentina on a 63rd-minute goal by Nicolas Otamendi. It was Brazil’s third loss in its first six games (of 18) in the 2026 CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, now in sixth position, but with a long way to go. Said Messi after the game:

“Many players had family members and friends there, and when we understood that we couldn’t do anything for them, we left to calm things down. …

“We saw how they were hitting the people, as happened in the final of the Libertadores. Again repressing the people.”

He posted later on Instagram:

“Great victory at Maracaná, even it will be forever tarnished by the repression to the Argentinians, once again, in Brazil. This can no longer be tolerated, it’s madness and has to end now.”

Yahoo! Sports soccer columnist Henry Bushnell observed:

“The trouble seemed to stem from inexplicably poor crowd control. The Argentine fans were placed in a section surrounded by Brazilians on both sides and from behind. There were no barriers between the visitors and locals. Away fans are typically separated from home fans, at least by a sturdy line of security. Here, at an always-heated rivalry, there seemed to be nothing protecting them from one another.”

Britain’s Guardian reported that players who participated in matches in Australia at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup were required to pay a 32.5% tax on their earnings vs. none for those who played in New Zealand.

If teams played in both countries, they were taxed by Australia only for those games played there. The story noted:

“A Fifa spokesperson told the Guardian that participating national associations were duly informed of the tax situation before the tournament. However, there was no explanation as to why a single tax regime, for all players’ fees, was not agreed upon between Fifa and the World Cup co-hosts.”

● Shooting ● The ISSF World Cup Final is ongoing in Doha (QAT), with the eight events concluded thus far won by eight different nations!

In the men’s 10 m Air Pistol, German Robin Walter – the 2022 European Champion – registered a decisive win, 243.3 to 240.0 over Paolo Monna of Italy. Hungary’s Zalan Pekler scored his fifth career World Cup gold by taking the 10 m Air Rifle final, scoring 251.2 to 249.4 over Lazar Kovacevic (SRB).

China’s Xue Li, the 2023 Worlds bronze medalist, took the women’s 10 m Air Pistol final by 244.7 to 243.6 over teammate Nan Zhao, with Tokyo 2020 bronze winner Ranxin Jiang (CHN: 223.4) completing the medal sweep. In the 10 m Air Rifle, Poland’s Aneta Stankiewicz won a tight battle from Worlds runner-up Zhilin Wang (CHN), 253.3 to 252.6. Norway’s Tokyo fourth-placer Jeanette Duestad was third (230.2), and American Mary Tucker finished eighth (124.9).

The men’s Skeet title went to Emil Petersen of Denmark – the 2017 World Junior Champion – who won a shoot-off with 2022 World Champion Azmy Mehelba of Egypt, 26-25, after a 56-all tie after the first 60 shots. But Azmy’s older brother, Abdel, won the men’s Trap title, scoring 46 hits to 45 for Daniele Resca of Italy, the 2017 World Champion.

Assem Orynbay (KAZ) took the women’s Skeet title with a 51-50 win over Chiara de Marziantonio of Italy. Americans Dania Jo Vizzi, the 2017 World Champion, got third (41), ahead of teammate Kim Rhode (34), the six-time Olympic medalist, still going strong at 44.

Italy finally got a win, from Silvana Stanco, the 2018 Worlds bronzer, beating Spain’s 2015 World Champion Fatima Galvez, 38-37, with Italy’s 2012 Olympic champ Jessica Rossi third (29).

Competition continues through Sunday.

● Swimming ● USA Swimming named its stars of 2023 at the annual Golden Goggles Awards, held this year in Los Angeles, with superstar Katie Ledecky picking up her ninth Female Athlete of the Year award, but in a tie with fellow star Kate Douglass.

Ledecky won World Championships golds in the women’s 800 m and 1,500 m Freestyles, plus a 400 m Free silver and a 4×200 m Free silver. Douglass posted a sensational seven wins at the NCAA Championships for Virginia, then won six medals at the Worlds in Fukuoka, led by golds in the 200 m Medley and women’s 4×100 m Medley.

The top men’s star was backstroke giant Ryan Murphy, who won the Worlds 100 m Back, took silver in the 200 m Back, and led off the winning men’s 4×100 m Medley team and bronze-medal Mixed Medley team.

The Breakout Performer of the Year was men’s sprinter Jack Alexy, who took a surprise silver in the Worlds men’s 50 m and 100 m Freestyles and won three more relay medals, including a gold on the men’s 4×100 m Medley, all in his first Worlds.

The Perseverance Award went to breaststroke star Lydia Jacoby, the Tokyo 2020  women’s 100 m gold medalist, who suffered through illness and injuries, but came back to win the Worlds bronze in 2023, and a leg on the winning women’s 4×100 m Medley.

The Open Water swimmer was Katie Grimes, the Worlds 10 km bronze medalist, who also won for the female Race of the Year. The men’s Race of the Year went to Tokyo Olympic champ Bobby Finke, who won silver in the Worlds 1,500 m Free and bronze in the 800 m Free, both in American Record times.

The Coach of the Year was California’s Dave Durden, whose six swimmers in Fukuoka won a combined 20 medals, including Alexy and Murphy. A new award, the Alumni of the Year, went to Lenny Krayzelburg, the four-time Olympic backstroke gold medalist from Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.

A special guest at the Golden Goggles was World Aquatics Executive Director Brent Nowicki (USA), who told the attendees:

“All of the National Team members out there, the eyes of the world staring at you when you walk out on that pool deck, my message to you this evening: Please do not underestimate the impact you have, in both actions and words, on our global swimming community.

“You are each leaders who will help us guide our sport more than you may ever know.

“And right now, the world needs you more than ever before. As we’re all seeing, the world is truly a fragile place. Perhaps it’s more fragile now than any one of us can ever remember. At World Aquatics, it is our hope – indeed, it is a core part of our mission – to provide a pool deck where countries can come together and embrace peaceful competition.”

USA Swimming announced a small, 18-athlete roster for the 2024 World Championships to be held in Doha (QAT). Five women and 13 men will compete, including Douglass – in five events – and Tokyo Olympian Claire Curzan, who will swim in six: 50 m Free, 50-10-200 m Back and 50-100 m Fly!

The men’s roster includes 50 m Back World Champion Hunter Armstrong, 50-100 m Worlds Breast silver winner Nic Fink and 400 m Medley runner-up Carson Foster.

The U.S. has qualified all of its relays for Paris with medals at the 2023 Worlds, relieving any need for qualifying performances, and the irregular dates of 2-18 February clash with the collegiate season and continuing training for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. The maximum-allowed team size for Doha was 28 total swimmers.

Natalie Coughlin, the 12-time Olympic medal winner and three-time gold medalist from 2004-08, was elected as Board Vice Chair and Chair-Elect. Now 41, she will be the federation’s Vice Chair through September 2025 and then Chair through 2029.

● Weightlifting ● The IWF World Junior Championships in Guadalajara (MEX) concluded on Wednesday, with Armenia, Mexico and the U.S. each winning three golds.

For the Americans, Gabriel Chhum won the men’s 61 kg class, taking top honors in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk and total at 262 kg, and Elijah Hein took the men’s 89 kg division at 351 kg. Katherine Estep won the women’s 64 kg class at 213 kg combined and also won the Clean & Jerk at 120 kg.

A notable silver-medal performance came from Hampton Morris of the U.S., the 2022 61 kg winner, who moved up to 67 kg and scored a silver medal at 303 kg combined, behind Armenia’s Gor Sakakyan (305 kg). In the process, Morris won the Clean & Jerk at 178 kg, setting a senior and junior American Record!

Isabella Rodriguez won a silver in the women’s 49 kg, lifting a combined 171 kg, just one behind Yi-Chen Huang (TPE). Ella Nicholson also got a silver at 76 kg at 227 kg combined, and Amanda Robles won a bronze at 87 kg (215 kg total).

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