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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Ticket sales for the 2026 Winter Games open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis on Tuesday (8th), with users able to purchase up to 25 tickets.
About 1.5 million tickets are to be available for the Games, with more than 660,000 already sold through the initial sales program using a lottery appointment system. The leading ticket-buying countries outside of Italy were Germany, the U.S., Great Britain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and France.
● Trump Administration ● The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee held hearings Friday on more confirmation nominations, including for Dr. Monica Crowley to be Chief of Protocol at the U.S. State Department.
The position includes responsibilities as the Administration rep for major events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
During the hearing, she was asked specifically about the Olympic Games by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), and about the Paris 2024 opening ceremony, which he said was used “as an opportunity for a mockery of faith.” Crowley responded:
“At the President’s direction, if confirmed, I will take on additional responsibilities and serve as an Administration representative to major events with big international participation, like America’s 250th birthday, like the FIFA World Cup coming to the United States next year and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“I look forward, if confirmed, to drawing on my vast broadcast and public affairs experience to speak to the American people as well as the global public about America’s greatness and America’s leadership.
“To your particular point, it’s my understanding that the Olympic Games, whenever they occur, are overseen by the International Olympic Committee and in Los Angeles, they will also work in conjunction with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic committee as well, and Senator, I pledge to you that if confirmed, I will be deeply involved in ensuring that the Olympic Games go off without a hitch, that the Olympic Committee in the United States is on message to the extent that we can have some influence there, and I look forward to showcasing the American spirit as well as the United States as a premier destination for international sporting events.”
Most of the hearing was directed to former Georgia Senator David Perdue, nominated to be the U.S. Ambassador to China.
● U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ● Athens 2004 Olympic shot put gold medalist Adam Nelson was announced as a new member of the USOPC Board, elected by the Team USA Athletes’ Commission to fill the unexpired portion of the term begun by Montreal 1976 Olympic swimming great John Naber.
Nelson was a brilliant, intense shot specialist who was a three-time Olympian, the silver medalist in 2004 and World Champion in 2005. He finished second on the field at ancient Olympia in the 2004 Athens Games, but the winner was disqualified for doping and Nelson received the gold medal in a 2013 ceremony. He won a total of seven international medals in Olympic and World Championship competitions (2-5-0) and will bring a decidedly athlete-first perspective to the USOPC, an area in which he was continuously active as a competitor.
His term runs through 2026 and he is eligible to be extended for four years.
● Archery ● At the first U.S. Archery Team Qualifier series event, the AAE Arizona Cup in Phoenix, Arizona, five-time Olympic medalist Brady Ellison won the men’s Recurve title – in windy conditions – for the 10th time, taking out Jackson Mirich in straight ends, but all close: 29-28, 30-28 and 29-28.
With defending women’s champ Casey Kaufhold knocked out in the round of 32, it was 19-year-old Gabrielle Sasai who took the women’s title, 6-4, over Savannah Nofel in another wind-impacted match.
● Athletics ● A monster discus toss at the Oklahoma Throws series in Ramona, a notorious wind tunnel at which the men’s world record was set last year by Mykolas Alekna (LTU) at 74.35 m (243-11) in 2024.
This time it was Australia’s Olympic bronze medalist from 2024, Matthew Denny, who won the men’s event on Saturday at 72.07 m (236-5), moving him to no. 5 all-time, with the no. 9 throw ever. His big toss came in round four, but he also finished with 71.12 m/233-4 in round six!
Alekna, for his part, reached 70.09 m (229-11) in Berkeley, California on Saturday to win the Brutus Hamilton Invitational.
● Basketball ● The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2025 has lots of familiar faces for fans of U.S. international basketball, with Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Dwight Howard, Maya Moore and the 2008 USA Basketball Men’s Olympic Team – the “Redeem Team” – all honored.
Anthony was a four-time Olympian, winning a 2004 bronze and golds in 2008-12-16 and Howard won a 2008 Olympic gold. After the 2004 Olympic team finished third, a reorganization of USA Basketball led to a brilliant showing in 2008, led by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, and the U.S. men have won the last five Olympic titles.
Bird finished with an amazing five Olympic golds, in 2004-08-12-16-20 and won four more golds in the FIBA Women’s World Cup, in 2002-10-14-18. Fowles wasn’t far behind, with four golds in 2008-12-16-20 and a 2010 gold at the FIBA Women’s World Cup. Moore won Olympic golds in 2012 and 2016 and FIBA Women’s World Cup golds in 2010 and 2014.
● Cycling ● At the Pan American BMX Championships in Chillan (CHI), Colombia’s Paris Olympian Diego Arboleda won the men’s race in 31.697, just ahead of Gonzalo Molina (ARG: 31.803). Brazil’s Paola Reis Santos won the women’s final in 36.681, well ahead of Domenica Azuero (ECU: 37.065), with American Payton Ridenour fifth in 38.021.
● Figure Skating ● The International Skating Union confirmed quota places for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in figure skating, with the U.S. earning three spots in men’s and women’s Singles and Ice Dance, and two in Pairs. The U.S. is eligible to earn a third Pairs place at the Olympic Qualifier in Beijing (CHN) in September.
Overall, the U.S. total of 11 places leads, followed by Canada and Japan (7), Italy (6) and France (5).
● Gymnastics ● The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) responded to the decision of non-participation by 14 approved Russian “neutrals” for World Cup competitions on Monday:
“The FIG was informed by a letter from the Russian Gymnastics Federation dated 7 April 2025 that athletes with AIN [neutral] status have decided not to take part in upcoming FIG competitions. The FIG regrets the decision of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.
“In accordance with recommendations issued by the International Olympic Committee in 2023, the FIG has implemented a rigorous AIN evaluation process to allow neutral Russian and Belarusian gymnasts and support personnel to return to FIG competitions.
“This process includes background checks conducted by an external company specialising in investigations, as well as individual application reviews by an ad-hoc committee composed of independent experts. The FIG fully trusts these entities and relies on their expertise to ensure fairness and consistency for all applicants.
“The question of AIN athletes will be discussed at the next FIG Executive Committee meeting, which will take place on 7-8 May 2025.”
● Handball ● The German Handball Federation (DHB) formally nominated long-time sports administrator Gert Butzeck to challenge incumbent Hassan Mustafa (EGY) for President of the International Handball Federation at the IHF Congress in Cairo (EGY) in December.
Mustafa, 80, has been IHF chief since 2000, winning re-election in 2004, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021. He has not had a challenger since the 2009 election.
Butzeck, 66, has been on the board of the European Handball Federation’s marketing arm since 2013 and has been a player, referee, team manager, player agent and much more in his career.
DHB President Andreas Michelmann said:
“Gerd Butzeck is one of the most experienced and distinguished handball officials – globally connected and with insights into our sport from the grassroots to the absolute top level. He possesses the necessary creative power to further professionalize handball.”
● Shooting ● At the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires (ARG), the U.S. swept the Skeet finals, with China posting three wins in Pistol events.
Christian Elliott of the U.S., the 2019 Pan American Games champion, took the men’s Skeet final at 58 points, to 56 for Rio 2016 gold medalist Gabriele Rossetti (ITA); Elliott hit his first 23 shots. The women’s final was a U.S. 1-2, with 2017 World Champion Dania Jo Vizzi and legendary six-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode tying at 53 in the final. The shoot-off had Vizzi with the win by 4-3 for her third career World Cup individual gold.
The men’s 10 m Air Pistol final saw China’s Kai Hu win with 244.7 points, just ahead of Anton Aristarkhov (RUS: 243.3), and India’s Rudrankksh Patil won the men’s 10 m Air Rifle, scoring 252.9 in the final against Hungary’s Istvan Peni (251.7); American Peter Fiori was eighth (123.4).
Peni, the 2023 World Champion at 300 m, returned to win the men’s 50 m Rifle/3 Positions final at 461.0, just ahead of Jiaming Tian (CHN: 458.8)
The women’s 25 m Pistol was a clear win for China’s Yujie Sun, scoring a 38-35 win over Esha Singh (IND), and the women’s 10 m Air Rifle final went to Zifei Wang (CHN) with 254.1 points to edge Eun-ji Kwon (KOR: 253.1), with Mary Tucker of the U.S. in seventh (145.3).
The competitions continue through Thursday.
● Wrestling ● Another record for USA Wrestling, announcing a total membership of 346,861 as of Monday afternoon, with five months to go in its membership year. Of these, 293,856 are wrestlers, including 52,041 women.
The total surpassed the 344,494 total from 2023-24, and the projected total for 2024-25 is now more than 365,000.
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