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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Winter Games 2030: French Alps ● With just five years to go before the opening of the 2030 Winter Games, the organizing committee was formally announced in Lyon (FRA), with 1992 Albertville Olympic Moguls champion Edgar Grospiron as President.
He has a considerable challenge, pulling together existing and temporary sites and working with two regions – Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (AURA) and Provence Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) – which both have venues involved in the Games.
It is expected that multiple staff members from the successful Paris 2024 organizing committee will move south to help get the 2030 Winter Games off to a fast start. Venues have been identified for all but speed skating, and one major facility – a new hockey arena in Nice – needs to be built.
● Olympic Games 2032: Brisbane ● The Queensland government said that the 100-day review of the Olympic stadiums situation by the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority will be delivered on 8 March, reviewed and publicly announced on 25 March.
The original plan was to revamp the famed Brisbane Cricket Ground (The Gabba) for A$2.7 billion, but a review commissioned by the prior Queensland Premier, Steven Miles, recommended a new, A$3.4 billion stadium in Victoria Park! He preferred to use existing Lang Park for ceremonies and improve the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre for track & field, to save money. (A$1 = $0.64 U.S.)
The new Premier, David Crisafulli said before last year’s elections that he was not in favor of new construction, but now wants to see what his review committee recommends.
● Athletics ● Ukraine’s Olympic champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh won the women’s high jump at the 31st Banskobystrická latka in Bansko Bystricka (SVK) with a world-leading clearance of 2.01 m (6-7). She cleared on the first attempt to win over Australia’s 2022 World Champion, Eleanor Patterson (1.99 m/6-6 1/4).
Korean Sang-hyeok Woo, the 2022 World Indoor Champion, won the men’s high jump at 2.28 m (7-5 3/4).
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Tickets are on sale for the USA Track & Field National Championships in Eugene Oregon from 31 July -3 August, with only all-session packages available to start with:
● $99.00 for General Admission (four sessions)
● $170.00 for finish side §§126-224-225 (four sessions)
● $230.00 for finish side §§119-123-124-125-220-223 (four sessions)
● $305.00 for finish side §§221-222 (four sessions)
Single-session tickets will be sold later. It’s pretty attractive pricing as most of the stadium is priced at $99 for four days, but it is also true that much of the backstraight is in the sun, as the roof does not make it all the way out to the lower seats. Sun screen is not included.
● Basketball ● Star guard Kyrie Irving won an Olympic gold as a member of the U.S. squad at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, but was born in Australia and is looking into playing for the Aussies in Los Angeles in 2028. He told reporters at the NBA All-Star Game:
“We’re in the process of that right now. Just trying to figure out what’s going to be the best route for me to be eligible. There’s a lot of paperwork in between that.
“Obviously, Team USA still has a decision to make. But for me, I’m just trying to do what’s best. Honestly, if I can be an Aussie at one point in my career and play for the Australian team, that would be great.“
Having played for the U.S., he would have to be released by USA Basketball, and accepted by Basketball Australia, with the transfer approved by FIBA. Certainly possible; he’ll be 36 at the time of the 2028 Olympic Games.
● Biathlon ● France’s dominant women’s team racked up another win and two medals in the 15 km Individual race at the IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide (SUI), with Julia Simon powering away to a 41:27.7 (1 penalty) to 42:05.5 (0) win over Swede Ella Halvarsson.
French teammate Lou Jeanmonnot was third in 42:06.9 (1); Deedra Irwin was the top American in 29th (45:19.9/2).
Simon, 28, won her eighth career Worlds gold, and second of this event, also in the Mixed Relay. She moved up from third in this race last year. The French women have won four of the 12 medals decided so far and lead all nations with seven total medals.
The men’s 20 km Individual race is on Wednesday, then relays on Thursday and Saturday and the Mass Start races on Sunday.
● Cycling ● British star Geraint Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour de France, 2014 Commonwealth Games road race and a two-time track cycling Olympic gold medalist in the Team Pursuit in 2008 and 2012, announced that he will retire at the end of this season.
Now 38, Thomas said in a BBC interview:
“Since I was a kid I dreamt of riding the Tour and being part of the Olympics and winning was obviously a dream as well, but to achieve that was just nuts.
“I think now the decision is official, you do start to reflect because when you’re in it, it’s just one thing after the next, year after year, so you don’t really appreciate it. I guess at the time you enjoy it but I don’t think you sit back and reflect and think, so there will be a bit of that this year.”
● Football ● U.S. Soccer announced a five-year agreement with the Westwood One network for English-language audio coverage of “all U.S. Soccer Federation-hosted matches” through 2030. This does not include the FIFA World Cup, or CONCACAF championship matches.
● Ice Hockey ● The U.S. had no need to win its final group-stage game in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off against Sweden in Boston, and lost, 2-1, with all the scoring in the first period.
Chris Kreider got the U.S. off to a 1-0 lead just 35 seconds into the game, but keeper Samuel Ersson stopped the next 32 U.S. shots over the remaining 59 minutes. Sweden got even at 13:39 on a Gustav Nyquist score and then Jesper Bratt scored what turned out to be the game winner at 19:04.
The U.S. and Canada both finished 2-1 and advanced to the championship game on Thursday in Boston, at 8 p.m., on ESPN. Sweden and Finland were both 1-2, with Sweden getting five points off two overtime losses.
● Shooting ● USA Shooting announced Tuesday a breakthrough against online restrictions imposed on American shooters, for content featuring their Olympic equipment:
“[A] bipartisan congressional coalition has successfully intervened with Meta Platforms to address systematic restrictions placed on USA Shooting athletes’ social media presence. This breakthrough ensures our nation’s champions can freely share their athletic achievements and connect with supporters across Instagram and Facebook.
“Led by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC), and Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), the congressional effort challenged Meta’s content moderation practices that had disproportionately affected Olympic and Paralympic shooting athletes. Through direct engagement with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, these legislators defended athletes’ rights to showcase their legitimate sporting activities without digital impediment.
“‘I thank Meta for doing the right thing and reversing course,’ said Representative Richard Hudson. As a strong defender of our 2nd Amendment, I stand with our incredible Olympic and Paralympic USA Shooting athletes and am glad to see their Constitutionally-protected freedoms being upheld.’”
● Taekwondo ● At the U.S. Open Championships in Reno, Nevada, Olympic men’s team stars C.J. Nickolas (80 kg) and Jonathan Healy (+87 kg) both won. Nickolas defeated Chile’s Joaquin Churchill in the final, two rounds to none (2-0), and Healy won over Mexico’s 2022 World Champion Carlos Sansores, who withdrew. The other American winner was Michael Rodriguez at 87 kg, winning over Oscar Navarro (MEX) by 2-0.
U.S. Paris Olympian Faith Dillon made it to the final of the women’s 57 kg class, but lost to Canada’s Skylar Park, two rounds to one. The other American women’s winners were Melina Daniel (53 kg) and Naomi Alade (+73 kg).
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