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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Commonwealth Games ● Commonwealth Sport announced Wednesday that it has received seven “Expressions of Interest” in possibly hosting a future Commonwealth Games:
“Canada, India, and Nigeria have already publicly confirmed that they have lodged an EOI for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with two additional nations also confirming their interest in 2030.
“Two EOIs are focused on the future Games pipeline, including New Zealand who have previously signalled their interest in hosting 2034.”
Commonwealth Sport was barely able to get a 2026 host, with Glasgow – which hosted in 2014 – agreeing to stage a slimmed-down event with 10 sports, but now the future looks brighter. Per Commonwealth Sport Director of Games and Assurance Darren Hall (ENG):
“[W]e will now discuss each submission further and work with each interested Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) and its regional representatives as part of a co-creation and collaboration phase to establish hosting feasibility.
“During this next five-month period, candidates moving forward in the process will ultimately be required to provide a detailed Games Proposal to Commonwealth Sport. This will be followed by a Commonwealth Sport-led evaluation process culminating in our Executive Board recommending a host to the Membership for approval at the General Assembly in late November 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland.”
● Athletics ● In the aftermath of the cancellation of the twice-held L.A. Grand Prix for 2025, USA Track & Field wanted to continue with its annual Friday evening distance-racing event, which had been held to promote qualifying times for many years, and held on the day before the L.A. Grand Prix in 2023 and 2024.
So, now USATF is partnering with Sound Running for its “Track Fest” to incorporate the USATF Distance Classic at Occidental College – a frequent site for the Distance Classic in the past – in Los Angeles on Saturday, 24 May 2025.
The meet features racing from 800 m to 10,000 m and is a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet.
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The two world men’s discus records set by Lithuania’s Olympic silver medalist Mykolas Alekna were set – as in 2024 – with a Denfly Skymaster discus, made for and sold by VS Athletics of Torrance, California.
Oh yes, the price is $209.95, while they last!
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The Athletics Integrity Unit “has banned Emmanuel Kipchumba Kemboi (Kenya) for 2 years from 7 April 2025 for Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Triamcinolone acetonide). DQ results from 6 October 2024.”
Kemboi, 28 years old, had a best – now nullified – of 2:08:32 for the marathon for a win in Riyadh (KSA) on 8 February of this year.
● Cycling ● The magnitude of the second UCI World Championships program in the Haute-Savoie (FRA) in 2027 was specified in detail on Tuesday:
“The event will bring together 20 UCI World Championships at 12 sites, with some 10,000 athletes (Elite and Amateur) representing an expected 130-plus nations competing over 13 days for the 281 titles of UCI World Champion at stake. Some two million people are expected to follow the competitions on site, and the cumulative TV audience should reach one billion viewers. More than 700 media representatives will be accredited for the event that can count on the commitment of around 4,000 volunteers.”
Those are increases from the inaugural combined Worlds in 2023 in Scotland, with 13 World Championships and 220 titles decided by about 7,000 participants, both elite and public. The 2027 Worlds are scheduled for 24 August to 5 September 2027.
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Admitting he had been drinking heavily, the Belgian spectator who threw a full water bottle and hit race leader (and eventual winner) Mathieu van der Poel (NED) at Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix race was reported to have apologized.
Quoted by the Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad, the 28-year-old suspect wrote in an email:
“I am so happy that he [van der Poel] crossed the finish line first on Sunday, despite my stupid action.
“A water bottle was in the grass. I picked it up and threw it when he passed. Without thinking. Half a second later, I realised how stupid and dangerous it was.”
The man, who has not been named, is being sought by French authorities for the incident.
● Fencing ● Stephanie Turner, a female Foil fencer who refused to compete in a scheduled match at The Cherry Blossom tournament in College Park Maryland on 30 March against transgender entrant Redmond Sullivan, will be in front of a U.S. House sub-committee on 7 May.
The House Oversight & Investigations Committee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced a hearing on the issue of biological men competing in the women’s category in sports, with Turner and USA Fencing Chair Damien Lehfeldt. USA Fencing has said it will cooperate with the government’s inquiry.
The U.S. Department of Education announced, on 4 April, a “Title IX Special Investigations Team” combining resources from the Education and Justice departments, and enforcing President Donald Trump’s 5 February Executive Order, “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.”
Turner told Fox News Digital: “I’m going to be taking a break from fencing for a while in the U.S. circuit, so that’s a little bit of a disruption for me… It has disrupted my training, it has disrupted my interactions when I go out in public, and it will certainly disrupt my competition because I won’t be competing in the United States any time soon.
“I will remain in the public eye for as long as it takes to resolve this.”
● Football ● FIFA announced the addition of 14 locations to its options for team base camps in 2026 for the 48 teams which will compete at the FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., bringing the total number of options to 62.
More will be added prior to the Final Draw in December.
● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. finished undefeated at 4-0 in Group A and are top-seeded heading into the playoffs of the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Ceske Budejovice (CZE).
The Americans shut down Switzerland, 5-0, in their final group game and finished with a 18-2 goals-against total in their four games. Scoring ace Hilary Knight collected three assists to set the all-time record for most World Champs assists all-time at 50, eclipsing Canadian Hayley Wickenheiser’s 49 from 1994-2016. Knight is now the all-time leader in Worlds assists (50), goals (67) and points (117).
Canada was second in the group at 4-1, followed by Finland at 2-2. The quarterfinals are now set for Thursday:
● U.S. (4-0) vs. Germany (2-2 Group B)
● Canada (3-1) vs. Japan (3-1 Group B)
● Finland (2-2) vs. Sweden (4-0 Group B)
● Czech Republic (1-3) vs. Switzerland (0-4)
The match-ups will be re-seeded after this round, for the semis on Saturday (19th). The medal matches will be on Sunday (20th).
● Swimming ● USA Swimming announced that Toyota Motor Sales USA has extended its sponsorship with the federation through 2026.
Toyota became a USA Swimming sponsor in 2019 and its extension is noteworthy as its Japanese parent did not renew its International Olympic Committee (TOP) sponsorship at the end of 2024.
● Weightlifting ● A doping violation has been alleged against 2024 IWF World Junior men’s 81 kg champion Dae-hee Kwon (KOR) after testing positive for trimetazidine on 26 February 2025.
Per the International Testing Agency:
“A mandatory provisional suspension has been imposed on the athlete. The athlete has the right to challenge the provisional suspension and ask for its lifting.”
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