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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● Olympic Winter Games 2026: Milan Cortina ● Infrastrutture Milano Cortina, the government construction oversight organization for Olympic projects – known as Simico – issued a harsh rebuke to an activist group which claimed its efforts were behind schedule.
According to a report in the Rome daily, Il Fatto Quotidiario, the Simico statement included:
“The report released by the [activists] leads to unacceptable exploitation. The data, published online with maximum transparency and therefore available to all citizens, say in a clear and incontrovertible way that the Olympic works plan is in line with the schedule.
“The construction sites of the sports works proceed in full compliance with the established timing (in some cases in advance) and all will be completed before the Games. To say otherwise is not only false, but absolutely defamatory.”
Nevertheless, the questions will continue – as with every Games – until the sites are delivered.
● International Olympic Committee ● The Olympic Museum announced that an all-time record of 432,000 visitors visited in 2024, including 52,000 school children, a big increase over 2023.
The Museum continues to grow its programming schedule, with three major temporary exhibitions – “Free to Run,” “Paris Olympique” and “Fashion and Sport: From One Podium to Another,” plus 14 cultural and sports-introduction events.
● Russia ● The increase in diplomatic chatter related to the war against Ukraine has already had the effect of increasing expectations in Russia for the return to international competitions.
Amir Khamitov, the Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports told the Russian news agency TASS:
“The period when Russian athletes were not allowed to participate in international competitions clearly showed that without our participants such events become much less spectacular, representative and authoritative. Apparently, the West understands this too. Therefore, in the near future we should expect Russian participants in international competitions in a wide variety of sports.”
Russia’s return will depend primarily on (1) a move toward ending the invasion of Ukraine and (2) who becomes the next president of the International Olympic Committee, with the election slated for 20 March.
● Athletics ● Another record, this time an American Record for two-time World Champion Chase Jackson, who shared the U.S. Indoor mark with 2016 Olympic champ Michelle Carter at 21.21 m (66-3 3/4) from 2016 and 2022, respectively.
No more, as Jackson’s 20.24 m (66-5) win in Torun (POL) on Sunday gives her the mark alone and moves her to no. 39 all-time. If you filter out marks from the doping-filled 20th Century, Jackson stands seventh all-time indoors.
Washington sophomore Amanda Moll took the world lead in the women’s vault at 4.88 m (16-0) with her win at the Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque. It’s a collegiate record and she’s now no. 9 all-time indoors and no. 5 all-time U.S. And she’s 20.
World-leading performances on the track over the weekend also came from Zimbabwe’s 200 m Olympic finalist Makanakaishe Charamba (Auburn) in the men’s 200 in 20.16 at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson, South Carolina, and in the women’s 200 m (22.34) from American JaMeesia Ford (South Carolina). Olympic men’s 4×400 m gold medalist Chris Bailey took the world lead in the men’s 400 m in 44.70 at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
● Ice Hockey ● Of course, Canada wanted a rematch with the U.S. after their bruising game on Saturday in Montreal, won by the Americans (3-1) and sending them on to the championship game of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off in Boston on Thursday (20th).
And that’s what will happen after the Canadians thrashed Finland, 5-3, on Monday in Boston, taking a 3-0 lead in the first period off goals by Connor McDavid (4:13), then Nathan MacKinnon (4:59) and Brayden Point (13:02).
MacKinnon made it 4-0 at 5:03 of the second, but the Finns came back to make a game of it in the third, scoring three goals in 5:24 – two from Mikael Granlund – and closing to 4-3 with 1:17 left. Sidney Crosby got an empty-net goal to finish up at 5-3 with 0:56 to play.
The U.S. will play Sweden Monday night to finish the round-robin play. The championship match will start at 8 p.m. Eastern on Thursday and shown nationally on ESPN.
● Swimming ● Terrific Presidents Day story by Swimming World Magazine on the short history of swimming pools at the White House, noting that installation of an indoor pool – paid for with private donations – was built in 1933 for President Franklin Roosevelt. Stricken with polio, Roosevelt swam for exercise and used the pool extensively until his death in 1945.
That pool was covered over (not destroyed) in 1970 to create the White House Press Room by President Richard Nixon, and remains today. His successor, Gerald Ford, loved swimming and so an outdoor pool – paid for with private funds – was constructed in 1975 and remains in use today.
● Wrestling ● “It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs.”
That’s the definition of a “suplex,” a technique used at every level of wrestling, even up to the professional entertainment matches, and one of the best in the Olympic world is American Olympic 76 kg silver medalist Kennedy Blades.
She showed off her love of the move with two powerful suplexes during the recent Zagreb Open in Croatia, telling United World Wrestling:
“When I get behind, in my mind, I am like I have to execute this because it’s so rare to hit a suplex. So every time I get behind in matches or big stages, I try to hit the suplex. I want to do it at the world stage because I know it will be on the highlights.”
UWW featured Blades and her favorite move in a feature, in which she added:
“I just feel like when someone gets a headlock, they probably have to throw it really hard because growing up, I used to wrestle Greco in the summer.
“So my coach always taught us how to set up the suplex if they grab your head for a headlock and they don’t go. When someone gets in a headlock position and they don’t go super hard, then the suplex is there. If I would ever be in that position, I just go flat because I know that they can probably throw me.”
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American star Sarah Hildebrandt, the Paris Olympic women’s 50 kg gold medalist, announced her retirement and will be an assistant coach for the U.S. women’s national team. Now 31, Hildebrandt won an Olympic bronze at Tokyo 2020 and four World Championships medals, including a silver in 2018. She explained:
“I have had a really long career and I’ve gotten the experience of what wrestling has taught me. It has made me so passionate about what this sport can do for people. If I can bring a passion and energy in support of their journey, kind of a door handle to open up their own adventure, that is exciting to me. Wrestling has given me so much. The sport has taught me everything about myself and helped me grow as a woman.”
Hildebrandt will be working alongside national women’s coach Terry Steiner and developmental coach Jessica Medina Bunker in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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