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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Following through on promises made in advance of the Paris 2024 Games, the City of Paris announced last week that beginning on 5 July, public swimming will once again be allowed in the Seine River.

Outlawed in 1923 due to the pollution levels in the river, restoring swimming became a priority for the city government under Mayor Anne Hidalgo and an enormous tank installation to catch run-offs during rainy periods was completed in time for the Games. Despite some delays due to too-high pollutant levels early in the event, both the triathlon and open-water swims were held in the river.

There will be three points on the river where swimming will be allowed: Grenelle, west of Paris; Bras Marie in the city and Bercy on the east side. Swimming will be allowed until the end of August and a green-yellow-red flag system will provide a real-time indication of water quality.

● Olympic Games 2028: Los Angeles ● Continuing his push against the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee in light of his continuing demand that the sailing competitions be moved from Long Beach to within his district in San Pedro, a motion filed on 4 April by Los Angeles City Council member Tim McOsker will be heard on Tuesday (20th).

The motion notes that an LA28 “Community Business and Procurement Program” plan and “Local Hire Program” plan were both due by 31 March 2025, but not delivered.

So, McOsker is asking City staff to report back in seven days with the status of both plans and “to provide a timeline for production and public release of this information.”

The motion was referred to the Ad Hoc 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games Committee, but is also being taken up by the Economic Development and Jobs Committee, which will meet on Tuesday (20th), chaired by 9th District Council member Curren Price, Jr. (McOsker is not a member of this committee).

¶

Some L.A. City Council members are not the only ones unhappy with the LA28 venue moves and placements.

In an interview session with reporters last week, International Table Tennis President Petra Sorling (SWE) expressed concern with the assigned space at the Los Angeles Convention Center:

“In Los Angeles we think our venue is too small. The location is excellent but I am sad to say we can only be, maximum, seven thousand.

“We are selling out bigger venues than that. Let’s see what we can do. There is still time.”

Table tennis was held at the South Paris Arena 4 with a capacity of 6,500 per session, mostly full. A true test for the sport will come at the first World Table Tennis U.S. Smash from 3-13 July at the 9,500-capacity Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

● Anti-Doping ● The U.S. Senate is ready for another salvo in the continuing war of words with the World Anti-Doping Agency, with the Commerce, Science & Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy to hold a hearing on 22 May (Thursday) at 10 a.m. Eastern time titled, “WADA Shame: Swimming in Denial Over Chinese Doping.”

The panelists include U.S. Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart, former director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy Dr. Rahul Gupta, Tokyo swimming Olympian and women’s 4×200 m Freestyle relay silver medalist Katie McLaughlin, and Prof. Dionne Koller, University of Baltimore School of Law and Co-Chair of the Commission on the State of the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics.

Subcommittee chair Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) said:

“The World Anti-Doping Agency has allowed Communist China and Russia to lie, cheat, and steal, putting American athletes at risk. When Congress used its oversight authority to investigate WADA’s blatant corruption, they acted like they were above the law. When the federal government investigated WADA’s inaction, they tried to strongarm the United States and threaten our hosting of the [2034] Salt Lake City Games. As one of the largest financial contributors to WADA, the United Sates deserves answers. My colleagues and I refuse to be silenced in our mission to make certain WADA does not turn a blind eye to corruption.”

● Memorabilia ● At the Ingrid O’Neil Auction 98, the top sellers were two Paris 2024 Olympic torches, which went for $24,000 and $20,000, the only items to top $10,000.

Also worth noting was the sale of a 1980 Congressional Gold Medal, given to members of the U.S. team which was not allowed to compete at the Moscow Olympic Games; it went for $1,200.

● Athletics ● “Olympic sports are going to have to be in one category. Let’s figure out how we do that.

“Football and basketball are in another category. That’s where I think the future is, or there will be no Olympic sports. If anyone thinks it can continue to go this way, they’re fooling themselves.”

That’s Carl Lewis, not just the nine-time Olympic gold medalist, but also the head coach of the University of Houston, speaking about the current turmoil over money in college sports. He told a news conference audience last week:

“The number one objective of these college athletes is to get a degree to get a job. Ultimately, we may have three people on our team out of 115, that may run post-collegiate. That’s probably the average, so think about that.

“Two percent; so 98% come here to ultimately get a job, so I think if we continue down this route, we’re going to continue to rob Peter to pay Paul and everyone is going to be broke.”

If the House vs. NCAA settlement receives Federal court approval, a formula will allow universities to pay their football and basketball players 90% or more of funding from media rights, sponsorships and ticket sales that come into an athletic department, imperiling all other sports. The question is how to achieve Lewis’s goal and what the structure – especially financial – would look like.

The Sports Examiner’s idea on how to do this is here.

● Wrestling ● In the aftermath of his arrest in Columbus, Ohio in a prostitution sting, Rio 2016 Olympic 97 kg Freestyle winner Kyle Snyder was temporarily suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport for “Allegations of Misconduct” on 14 May.

According to a WBNS 10TV report on Friday:

“Snyder’s attorney, Eric Hoffman, told 10TV on Friday that the wrestler plans to plead guilty to disorderly conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor. He was initially charged with engaging in prostitution.”

Snyder is scheduled for a court appearance on Monday (19th) and is expected to be fined and required to receive counseling.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Athletics ● A world record in the men’s 35 km walk from Tokyo Olympic 20 km walk winner Massimo Stano (ITA) highlighted the World Race Walk Tour Gold European Team Champs in Podebrady (CZE) on Sunday.

Stano took over at the 23 km mark and marched away with a huge win in 2:20:43, destroying the prior mark of 2:21:40 by Canada’s Evan Dunfee in March. German Christopher Linke was a distant second in 2:23:21 and Spain’s Miguel Angel Lopez was third (2:23:48), both national records.

Spain’s Maria Perez, the 2022 World Champion, won the women’s 35 km in a world-leading 2:38:19, ahead of Tokyo Olympic 20 km winner Antonella Palmisano (ITA: 2:39:35).

In the 20 km walks, Spain’s Paul McGrath won easily in 1:18:08 over defending champ Francisco Fortunato (ITA: 1:18:16), with Gabriel Bordier (FRA: 1:18:23) third. Ukraine’s Lyudmila Olynavovska won the women’s 20 km in 1:27:56, from Clemence Beretta (FRA: 1:28:05).

● Badminton ● Home fans got a thrill at the BWF World Tour Thailand Open in Patumwan in the men’s Singles as top-seeded Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA) defeated no. 2 Anders Antonsen (DEN), 21-16, 17-21, 21-9.

China’s Tokyo 2020 gold medalist Yu Fei Chen won the women’s Singles over top-seeded Pornpawee Chochuwong (THA), 21-16, 21-12. Malaysian teams won the men’s and women’s Doubles and China took the Mixed Doubles.

● Canoe-Kayak ● The home team put on a strong performance at the ICF Sprint World Cup I in Szeged (HUN), winning seven events: four for the men and three for the women.

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Adam Varga won the men’s K-1 500 m in 1:44.67, Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Balint Kopasz took the K-1 1,000 m in 3:29.65 and Levente Kurucz and Mark Opavszky took the K-2 500 m in 1:36.93. The Hungarian team also won a tight race with Germany to take the K-4 500 m by 1:20.32 to 1:20.53.

Zsofia Scorba won the grueling C-1 5,000 m in 28:11.39, with American Audrey Harper sixth in 30:41.16, and Agnes Kiss and Blanka Nagy won the C-2 500 m final in 1:57.12, ahead of China’s Mengya Sun and Yaran Ma (1:57.48). The Hungarian squad was an easy winner of the C-4 500 m final.

The only double winner was Poland’s six-time Worlds medal winner Anna Pulawska, who took the women’s K-1 200 m in 43.53 and the K-1 500 m in 1:50.77. The Poles added two more women’s wins, with Sylwia Szczerbinska and Dorota Borowska in the C-2 200 m (44.10) and Martyna Klatt and Sandra Ostrowska in the K-2 500 m (1:48.86).

Canada’s nine-time World Champion Katie Vincent won the women’s C-1 500 m, and 2021 World Champion Aimee Fisher (NZL) won the K-1 1,000 m final in 3:55.89.

Brazil’s seven-time World Champion Isaquias Queiroz took the C-1 500 m in 1:47.80, and C-1 1,000 m Olympic champ Martin Fuksa (CZE) won that race by daylight in 3:54.64.

● Cycling ● Things got crazy over the weekend at the 108th Giro d’Italia, starting on Friday with the first climbing stage of the race. It was expected that 2023 winner Primoz Roglic (SLO) would have the overall race lead by the end of the day, and he did.

But in a position to win the stage, Roglic was unable to master the uphill finish to Tagliacozzo at the end of 168 km and fell back to fourth as 22-year-old rising Spaniard Juan Ayuso – who won the Tirreno-Adriatico earlier this year – got away in the final 400 m to win in 4:20:25. Seven others were in the chase pack, including Roglic, finishing four seconds back.

So Roglic took over the “maglia rosa” leader jersey, but where he had an 18-second advantage over Ayuso coming into the stage, it was only four seconds going into Saturday’s 197 km, triple-climb stage to Castelraimondo.

Australia’s Luke Plapp, a six-time national road champion, attacked with 45 km to go and won his first Grand Tour stage in 4:44:20, leaving Wilco Kelderman (NED) and Diego Ulissi (ITA) – both +0:38 – in the dust. Ayuso and Roglic finished 11-12, but 4:49 and 4:50 back of the winner, so Ulissi took over the race lead over countryman Lorenzo Fortunato (+0:12), with Roglic third (+0:17) and Ayuso fourth (+0:20).

Sunday’s hilly course from Gubbio to Siena over 181 km, saw Belgian star Wout van Aert – in his first Giro – followed Mexico’s Isaac Del Toro on a late attack and then managed to cross first in 4:15:08, almost a minute ahead of the rest of the race. Ayuso finished 1:07 back in seventh and Roglic – after a fall on an early gravel sector and a later flat tire – ended up 19th in a pack that finished 2:22 behind the winner.

That completely scrambled the leaderboard and Del Toro – at age 21 and also in his first Giro – became the race leader by 1:13 over Ayuso, 1:30 over Antonio Tiberi (ITA) and 1:40 over Richard Carapaz (ECU). American Brandon McNulty is in eight (+1:59) and Roglic fell all the way to 10th (+2:25). Crazy.

Tuesday brings the second Individual Time Trial of the race, a flat 29.6 km course from Lucca to Pisa.

¶

The three-stage UCI Women’s World Tour Itzulia Women in the Basque Country of Spain saw Mischa Bredewold (NED) win the mass-sprint finish of stage one and then repeat her win in stage two.

Sunday’s third stage had two moderate climbs on the 112.9 km course in and around Donostia, and Dutch star Demi Vollering put her foot down and crushed the field by 55 seconds, winning in 2:55:35, with Canada’s Sarah van Dam second.

That moved Vollering from sixth to first in 9:55:54, with Bredewold second by 48 seconds and van Dam third at +1:01.

¶

At the UCI Mountain Bike World Series for the first Downhill of the season in Bielsko-Biala (POL), five-time World Downhill champ Loic Bruni (FRA) led wire-to-wire and won the men’s race in 3:04.867, ahead of Oisin O’Callaghan (IRL: 3:05.023) and France’s Amaury Pierson (3:05.675). American Richard Rude Jr. was fourth in 3:06.463.

Britain’s Tahnee Seagrave, a four-time Worlds medalist, won the women’s race in 3:34.340, also leading all the way, over Anna Newkirk of the U.S. (3:36.051).

● Diving ● The USA Diving National Championships finished Friday in Auburn, Alabama, with a sensational championship run from 13-year-old ElliReese Niday.

A seven-time U.S. junior champion, she won a tight battle with 19-year-old Bayleigh Cranford to take the women’s 10 m Platform title by 721.40 to 711.40! Said the winner, the youngest to win this event since 2016:

“It doesn’t feel real. I just tried to stay focused on my own dives and celebrate after.

“It’s really crazy. Maybe one day when I grow up, I’ll make the Olympic team possibly.”

Niday has the background: her mother, Lauryn McCalley Niday was a U.S. national springboard champion in 2000 and 2001.

First-time titles ran through the women’s events, as Sophie Verzyl won her first U.S. Nationals in the 3 m at 626.65, ahead of Lilly Witte (586.45), and Anna Kwong won her first individual national gold in the 1 m, scoring 534.85, beating Tokyo Olympian Hailey Hernandez (522.65) and Verzyl (518.30).

In the women’s Synchro events, Kwong and Verzyl tied with Witte and Bailee Sturgill in the 3 m at 534.12, with Taylor Fox and Hernandez third (515.88). Daryl Wright and Cranford won the 10 m at 569.43, beating Lanie Gulch and Anna Lemkin (554.40).

The men’s diving featured two wins for Joshua Hedberg, 18, who took his third individual national crown scoring 891.50 in the men’s 10 m final, beating Jordan Rzepka (866.45). He had already teamed with Carson Tyler to win the 10 m Synchro at 818.91, winning by more than 146 points.

Lyle Yost won the men’s 1 m at 766.70, ahead of Nicholas Harris (745.45) and Collier Dyer (740.70) and Max Flory took the 3 m title at 922.00, with Dyer at 894.70. Jack Ryan and Grayson Campbell won the 3 m Synchro decisively at 782.19.

In the Mixed Synchro events, Luke Hernandez and Kyndal Knight won the 3 m t 284.10, with Ryan and Krysta Palmer second (282.72). Cranford got a second synchro win in the 10 m, with Tyler Wills at 312.06; they had previously won this event at the 2023 USA Winter Nationals.

● Fencing ● At the FIE Foil Grand Prix in Shanghai (CHN), Hong Kong’s 32nd-ranked Chun Yin Ryan Choi took the men’s title from Italy’s 2023 World Champion, Tommaso Marini, 15-12, for his first major international victory.

In another women’s classic, 2023 Worlds bronze winner Martina Favaretto (ITA) managed another win over Olympic champ Lee Kiefer of the U.S., by 15-11. It’s Favaretto’s second straight win over Kiefer this month, but the American retains a 4-3 career edge in their one-on-one match-ups.

● Gymnastics ● At the second FIG Artistic World Challenge Cup, in Koper (SLO), Brazil, Chinese Taipei and Slovenia all scored two wins.

Slovenian women won both first-day events, with Teja Belak taking the Vault over Tijana Korent (CRO), 13.516 to 13.199. Lucija Hribar got the gold on the Uneven Bars, scoring 14.000 to 12.666 for Brazil’s Gabriela Barbosa.

Brazil got two wins on Sunday, with Julia Coutinho winning on Floor at 13.100, ahead of Barbosa (12.733), and then Lucas Bitencourt winning the men’s Horizontal Bar at 13.500, barely ahead of teammate Patrick Sampaio (13.466).

Chinese Taipei’s Min-Han Chiou won the men’s Floor title at 13.833 and Wei-Sheng Tseng won on Vault, scoring 13.883.

In the other men’s events, Diyas Toishybek (KAZ: 14.033) won on Pommel Horse, 2019 World Rings champ Ibrahim Colak (TUR: 14.033) won his specialty, and Cameron-Lie Bernard (FRA: 13.800) won on Parallel Bars, ahead of Colak (13.366). British Olympian Georgia-Mae Fenton on the women’s Beam, at 13.166.

● Ice Hockey ● Nearing the close of group play at the IIHF men’s World Championship in Denmark and Sweden, three of the four qualifiers from Group A are set, with Sweden (6-0), Canada (5-0) and Finland (4-1) all set to advance. Latvia (3-3) is in fourth position, but needs to beat Austria on Tuesday.

In Group B, the U.S. skated past Germany on Saturday, 6-3, and defeated Kazakhstan on Sunday, 6-1, to also clinch a berth in the quarterfinals. Switzerland leads the group at 6-1, with the Czech Republic at 5-0 and the U.S. at 5-1 all through to the playoffs. Germany and Denmark are tied on points, 9-9, and will play on Tuesday.

Group play will finish in Tuesday (20th) and the quarterfinals will begin on the 22nd.

● Sailing ● The 2025 Laser (ILCA 7) and Laser Radial (ILCA 6) World Championships in Qingdao (CHN) had light winds for most of the week, but then a howling squall on the final day on Saturday.

In the women’s tournament, it was Paris 10th-placer Louise Cervera (FRA) who surprised even herself with the victory, winning two races and finishing fourth twice to end with 11 net points, ahead of 2021 silver medalist Agata Barwinska (POL: 24) and Eve Mcmahon (IRL: also 24). Charlotte Rose was the top American, in eighth (39).

The men’s ILCA 7 regatta was a nail-biter, coming down to the wind-blown final race, with Willem Wiersema (NED) getting his only win of the week. But that was enough to give him just 11 net points, enough to win over two-time Olympic silver medalist Pavlos Kontides (CYP: 12) and Zac Littlewood (AUS) and Jonatan Vadnai (ITA: both also 13).

Wiersema’s best prior finish in a World was 50th, in 2021!

● Sport Climbing ● Olympic silver winner Sorato Anraku (JPN) won his third IFSC World Cup of the season in Curitiba (BRA), taking the Boulder title with 69.7 points in the final. That was good enough to win over France’s Mejdi Schalck (58.9) and two-time World Boulder champ Tomoa Narasaki (JPN: 39.0.

The women’s Boulder competition was a French 1-2, with 2021 World Youth champ Naile Meignan scoring 99.6 in the final to edge countrywoman and 2023 Worlds runner-up Oriane Bertone (99.5). American Nekaia Sanders finished eighth at 34.8.

● Triathlon ● Luxembourg isn’t one of the power countries in the World Triathlon Championship Series, but it was on Saturday in Yokohama (JPN), as Jeanne Lehair, 29, who formerly competed for France, won her first career WTCS race, beating three long-time stars, in rainy conditions.

She was second out of the water, but only 31st in the bike phase, nevertheless one of four leading into the run. Even in the presence of other excellent runners, Lehair – who transferred allegiance from France in 2023 – had the second-fastest run on the day, in 33:41, to finish at 1:51:34.

That was enough to hold off 2023 World Champion Beth Potter (GBR), who ran 33:38 and 1:51:38, and Paris Mixed Relay gold medalist Lisa Tertsch (GER: 33:47 and 1:51:40).

American star Gwen Jorgensen, the Rio 2016 Olympic champ, had her usual strong run in 33:48 to finish fourth in 1:51:52.

Australian Matt Hauser, seventh at the Paris Olympic Games, got his second career Championship Series victory in the men’s race, outlasting Vasco Vilaca (POR) in the closing stages of the run, winning in 1:41:08. Vilaca was a clear second in 1:41:14 over Miguel Hidalgo (BRA: 1:41.29).

Hauser earned the win with the fastest 10 km in the field at 29:43, with Vilaca exactly six seconds behind, which was the final margin. Chase McQueen was the top American, in 13th (1:43:29).

● Wrestling ● The next step in naming the U.S. Freestyle team for the 2025 World Championships was the USA Wrestling World Team Trials Challenge in Louisville, Kentucky, with wrestle-offs to determine the remaining contestants in the “Final X” selection meet on 14 June in Newark, New Jersey.

One of those trying to qualify was Olympic women’s 68 kg and two-time World 72 kg champ Amit Elor, in her first competition since Paris in 2024. Back at 72 kg, she fell behind 1-0 in the first period against U.S. Open runner-up Skylar Grote and had to win two second-period points to advance, 2-1.

At 59 kg, 2019 World Champion Jacarra Winchester moved on with a 7-3 win over Alexis Janiak. U.S. Open silver medalists who did advance to Final X included Erin Golston (50 kg), Felicity Taylor (53 kg), Everest Leydecker (55 kg) and Adaugo Nwachukwu (62 kg).

In the men’s bouts, two-time Olympic bronze medalist Kyle Dake won a high-profile battle at 86 kg with Carter Starocci on criteria after a 3-3 score.

At 79 kg, Levi Haines beat Dean Hamiti, the U.S. Open runner-up at 79 kg by 10-2, and U-20 Worlds runner-up Josh Barr won at 92 kg over Aeoden Sinclair, 7-3.

At 97 kg, Hayden Zillmer, a 2022 U.S. Worlds team member, won at 97 kg by beating U-23 Worlds bronzer Jonathan Aiello, 5-3. Trent Hillger took the 125 kg title over U.S. Open runner-up Demetrius Thomas, 10-4.

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For our updated, 694-event International Sports Calendar for 2025 and beyond, by date and by sport, click here!

Softball

May 18, 2025

Full finish from Liberty’s historic softball regional upset of Texas A&M

May 18, 2025

For the first time in NCAA softball regionals history, the No. 1 national seed has been eliminated. Watch the full bottom of the seventh inning as Liberty held off Texas A&M 6-5 to advance to super regionals for the first time in program history.

Patrons watch a game of the U.S. women’s college basketball tournament at The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, in April 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Patrons watch a game of the U.S. women’s college basketball tournament at The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, in April 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A poster featuring tennis player Naomi Osaka is displayed at The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, as seen in April 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Photo taken in Portland, Oregon, in April 2025 shows The Sports Bra’s shop sign. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Lee was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, to help his body and mind recuperate. There, he connected with Operation Comfort, a nonprofit group that provided rehabilitative and therapeutic programs for wounded veterans at the medical center.

“I tried playing wheelchair basketball, volleyball, other adaptive sports,” Lee said. “When I heard about sled hockey, I was a little surprised because I didn’t even know you could play hockey as a disabled person. I immediately signed up for it and as soon as I went in for my first practice with other service members I definitely fell in love. It’s really the fastest sport there is compared to other therapy or adaptive sports.”

Lee began playing with the San Antonio Rampage sled hockey team in 2009 and worked his way onto the U.S. national program by 2010. He’s 41-1-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) with a 0.65 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and 25 shutouts for the national team. In addition to three Paralympics gold medals, he has three world championship gold medals (2023, 2021, 2019 and 2012) and two silver medals (2024, 2013).

All the hardware and championships are meaningful, Lee said, but the Beijing Paralympic gold brought him to tears because he earned it as the team’s No. 1 goalie.

“It was the first time that I was able to help contribute or be able to be part of all that, to get on the ice,” he said. “I thought about my family, too. I came to the United States as an immigrant from Taiwan and, knowing their sacrifices and struggles from growing up, it wasn’t easy. And my dream of being an elite athlete, being G.I. Joe, a soldier.

“Just being able to accomplish all that, though the path was different, it was still a huge accomplishment,” he said. “I was just happy, and that’s the emotion that came out.”