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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● International Olympic Committee ● There were other elections beyond the one for IOC President at the 144th IOC Session in Greece.
The highly-respected Pierre-Olivier Beckers (BEL) was elected as an IOC Vice President (98-3), and four positions for the Executive Board went to Emma Terho (FIN: athlete representative; second term, approved 98-2), Spyros Capralos (GRE: National Olympic Committees, approved 93-7), Kristin Kloster (NOR: second term, approved 96-5), and Octavian Morariu (ROU), who defeated Neven Ilic (CHI), 53-50.
Three-time Olympic champion Tony Estanguet (FRA), the brilliant head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, was elected as an IOC member by 98-3.
Honorary Members accepted by a show of hands included Marisol Casado (ESP: World Triathlon president) and Zaiqing Yu (CHN).
The IOC also elected two Honor Members, a rarely-conferred, special recognition for an individual not a IOC member. Ban Ki-Moon (KOR), the former United Nations Secretary General, was elected a show of hands, as was Francesco Ricci Bitti (ITA), the former head of the International Tennis Federation and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations.
● Athletics ● The 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships are this weekend in Nanjing (CHN), with 576 athletes (312 men/264 women) from 127 countries entered.
Leading the parade are defending champions from the 2024 edition in Glasgow (GBR):
● Men/60 m hurdles: Grant Holloway (USA) ~ also 2023
● Men/High Jump: Hamish Kerr (NZL)
● Men/Pole Vault: Mondo Duplantis (SWE) ~ also 2023
● Men/Long Jump: Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) ~ also 2023
● Men/Triple Jump: Hugues Fabrice Zango (BUR)
● Women/800 m: Tsige Duguma (ETH)
● Women/60 m hurdles: Devynne Charlton (BAH)
● Women/High Jump: Nicola Olyslagers (AUS)
● Women/Pole Vault: Molly Caudery (GBR)
● Women/Triple Jump: Thea Lafond (DMA)
● Women/Shot Put: Sarah Mitton (CAN)
Holloway, Kerr, Duplantis, Tentoglou and LaFond went on to become Olympic gold medalists in Paris last summer, and Paris winners Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR: men’s 5,000 m) and Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR: women’s high jump) will also be in Nanjing.
Holloway has an 82-race streak going in the indoor hurdles, including 40 finals over 11 seasons, in high school (13 races in 55/60 m hurdles in 2015-16) and open competition (69 in 60 m hurdles starting in 2017).
Prize money is available at $40,000-20,000-10,000-8,000-6,000-4,000 for the top six placers.
NBC’s Peacock streaming service has live coverage, with highlights on CNBC on Saturday (11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eastern time) and Sunday (3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.), with an NBC highlights show on Sunday only at noon Eastern.
● Football ● The U.S. men’s National Team faced off against long-time foe Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and dropped a 1-0 decision on a stoppage-time goal.
The U.S. created some quality chances in the first half, notably a shot by striker Josh Sargent in the 19th deflected off a defender and hit the post, and a forward Weston McKennie header in the 21st was saved by Panama keeper Orlando Mosquera.
Sargent scored on a loose ball in the box in the 24th, but was called for offsides. Although the Americans had 60% possession for the half, they managed only three shots, but Panama had just one.
The second half was more of the same: U.S. attacks and the occasional Panama counter, but no goals. Then in stoppage time – at 90+4 – a pass from the top of the box from forward Adalberto Carrasquilla found substitute striker Cecilio Waterman, who had space and sent a right-footed shot on a diagonal from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner … right past U.S. keeper Matt Turner for the game-winning goal.
The U.S. ended with 66.5% possession and a 12-3 edge on shots, but it was not enough. Canada and Mexico played in the nightcap. The final is on Sunday.
● Freestyle Skiing & Snowboard ● The Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom was held on Thursday at the FIS Freestyle & Snowboard World Championships in Engadin (SUI), with two veteran champions collecting another title.
The men’s PGS gold went to Italy’s 44-year-old Roland Fischnaller, earning a World title in 2025, 10 years after winning the Parallel Slalom way back in 2015. It’s his seventh career Worlds medal (2-3-2) and he defeated German Stefan Baumeister by 0.09 in the final; he won his first Worlds medal since 2019!
Korean Sang-ho Lee, the 2018 Olympic PGS runner-up, won the bronze – his first Worlds medal – over Dario Caviezel (SUI), who was disqualified.
Czech star Ester Ledecka won the women’s PGS final over 2023 World Champion Tsubaki Miki (JPN) , crossing with a 0.48 margin, for her third Worlds gold (1 in Parallel Slalom, 2 in PGS) to go along with two Olympic PGS golds.
Aleksandra Krol-Walas (POL), 34, won her second straight Worlds bronze in this event, defeating Swiss Ladina (Jenny) Caviezel – wife of Dario Caviezel – by 0.14 seconds.
● Ski & Snowboard ● U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced a high-profile, three-year agreement with J.Crew as the “official lifestyle-apparel partner.” So what will the goods look like?
According to the announcement:
“The product collections will feature signature J.Crew categories reimagined through an aspirational ski lens. Inspired by vintage ski logos and archival Olympic patches, these exclusive winter collections will feature sweaters, loungewear and cold-weather accessories for women, men and kids.”
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