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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡
● International Olympic Committee ● The IOC Press Office confirmed that 98 of the 110 members of the organization were present in Lausanne for the Presidential candidate presentations on Thursday.
The U.S. had only one of its four IOC members in the room: U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee chief Gene Sykes. The three other members – Anita DeFrantz (who has been ill), Allyson Felix and International Tennis Federation head David Haggerty – were noted as excused.
● Youth Olympic Games ● After the presentations concluded, the IOC’s 143rd Session confirmed the Italian “Dolomiti Valtellina” bid for the V Winter Youth Olympic Games for in 2028.
The project follows up on the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina and will be staged in three clusters in Valtellina, Trentino and Cortina, with seven of the 11 proposed venues to have been part of the 2026 Games. Per the announcement:
“The project is led by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), and the governments of the regions of Veneto and Lombardy and the Autonomous Province of Trento, supported by the Italian national government, and is in line with long-term plans to raise the regions’ profile as a winter sports destination.”
The bid was approved by 89-1, with two abstentions.
● Alpine Skiing ● Croatia’s rising star Zrinka Ljutic, 21, got her third win of the season at the FIS Alpine World Cup Slalom race in Courchevel (FRA), leading after the first run and finishing the clear winner at 1:45.06.
Beijing 2022 Giant Slalom gold medalist Sara Hector (SWE) was only seventh on the first run and ninth on the second, but that was good enough to earn the silver, with a total of 1:46.32. Germany’s Lena Duerr was eighth on both runs, winning the bronze at 1:46.34.
American star Mikaela Shiffrin, back after being two for two months following a November crash, stood fifth after the first run, then was 22nd on the second for a total of 1:47.10, placing 10th.
● Athletics ● Sunday has the much-anticipated New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, with Olympic men’s 100 m winners Noah Lyles (2024) facing Lamont Marcell Jacobs (ITA: 2021) and comebacking Trayvon Bromell, the 2016 World Indoor Champion at 60 m.
There are loads of Paris stars in the field, including gold-medal winners such as Rai Benjamin (300 m) and Grant Holloway (60 m hurdles) in the men, and Julien Alfred (LCA: 300 m) and Masai Russell (60 m hurdles) in the women’s events.
One of the most interesting entries is Jacious Sears in the women’s 60 m. She ranked no. 3 in the world for 2024 at 10.77, but was injured at the SEC meet and was sidelined for the year. Now a pro, she won her semi at the Orange & Purple meet at Clemson last week in 7.15. She will face some stiff competition with Mikiah Brisco, Zoe Hobbs and Tamara Clark all entered.
The meet will be shown live on NBC from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday.
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The Athletics Integrity Unit provisionally suspended French men’s 400 m hurdles star Wilfried Happio for “whereabouts” failures. The 2022 European silver medalist ranks no. 21 all-time at 47.41 from 2022, and could face up to a two-year ban.
Now 26, Happio won the French national title in 2024, but only reached the Olympic semis in Paris.
● Canoe-Kayak ● Happy news from New Zealand, where eight-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Carrington, 35, has confirmed she plans to try for a fifth Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
Her short message on Instagram read only, “And we’re back. Let’s go. #LA28″
She won single golds in 2012 and 2016, then three at Tokyo 2020 in the Sprint women’s K-1 200 m, K-1 500 m and K-2 500 m (with Caitlin Regal), then repeated with three in Paris in 2024, in the K-1 500 m, K-2 500 m (with Alicia Hoskin) and K-4 500 m.
Said Canoe Racing New Zealand high-performance general manager, Nathan Luce:
“We’re more than ecstatic that she’s willing to continue to contribute to our team and the programme and her crewmates from Paris are more than excited to continue working with her.”
● Handball ● Croatia, aided by a home crowd of 15,600 at the Arena Zagreb, advanced to its fifth IHF men’s World Championship final with a 31-28 win over previously undefeated France on Thursday.
The home team had a big, 18-11 lead at halftime, but the French made a run in the second half to get closer, but it was not enough. Croatia got big games from Zvonimir Srna and Marin Jelinic with seven goals each and Ivan Martinovic added six. France was led by Dika Mem, with eight scores.
Croatia won the 2003 world title, but lost in the final in 1995, 2005 and 2009. Denmark, trying for a fourth straight Worlds gold, plays on Friday against Portugal in Baerum (NOR). The final will be Sunday, also in Baerum.
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