There are moments in sports when a win is more than a number on a board — it becomes a quiet rebellion. That’s what the recent victories of our men’s and women’s football teams in the 2025 SEA Games felt like. Beating defending champions didn’t just shock pundits; it made many of us sit straighter and whisper the phrase we’ve whispered too often when Filipinos succeed against the odds — “Pwede pala.” These wins weren’t accidents born out of lucky kicks. They came from kids who learned the game barefoot, from parents who tucked muddy cleats in plastic bags, from small communities where dreams are louder than megaphones and politicians’ tarps. It came from faith — not the type that waits, but the type that builds, sweats, and hopes. That is why these wins must be seen as more than medals. They are reminders that football deserves serious and sustained investment, the same way we proudly support basketball and volleyball — and even the non-mainstream sports where we have a global fighting chance such as boxing, weightlifting, athletics, gymnastics, and even chess, where height is not a limitation and strategy, endurance, and heart bridge the gap talent alone cannot.

New York has always been a place where the world comes together to create, to compete and to dream. New York City is the global capital of culture and possibility. Five hours north, in the heart of the Adirondacks, lies Lake Placid, surrounded by peaks alive with Olympic history. One is vast and vertical; the other intimate and alpine. Together, they form an inspirational partnership: urban and rural, electric and serene, capable of showcasing the Olympic spirit to the world.

A New York City-Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games would welcome the world, showcasing our shared history and iconic venues. No city embodies diversity like New York. Home to communities from nearly every nation on the planet, every neighborhood is a world unto itself. Lake Placid, is the heart of America’s winter sports legacy — a village that welcomed the world in 1932 and again in 1980, and still nurtures the Olympic spirit. From hosting World Cup competitions to training athletes from 23 countries — ranging from traditional winter sports powerhouses to emerging programs in Ghana and Vietnam — the Adirondacks remain a place where athletes chase their dreams. Together, NYC and Lake Placid prove that communities thrive when they welcome the world as neighbors.

The future of the Olympic movement depends on sustainability. Past Games have been plagued by ballooning budgets, underused facilities and disruptions to local communities. New York already possesses the necessary world-class sports infrastructure and a proven record of hosting international events. By thoughtfully dividing events between NYC and Lake Placid, we can minimize disruption, maximize efficiency and set a new standard for responsible Olympic planning. With the nation’s largest media market, ideal time zone and established venues, an NYC-Lake Placid Games would deliver record attendance, viewership and revenue. But the legacy would not end with the Closing Ceremony. Investments in public transit, housing, accessibility and youth sport would serve generations to come. A legacy fund could expand access to skating, skiing and adaptive winter sport programs across the state, ensuring that every child, regardless of zip code or background, can experience the exhilaration of movement and the joy of belonging.

Imagine an Opening Ceremony that transforms Times Square into a winter celebration — where Broadway performers and world-class athletes gather at the Crossroads of the World. Amid falling ticker-tape snow and shimmering marquee lights, the Olympic flame ignites against the backdrop of the skyline. Streets and subways will be lined with flags and fans from every nation in the world as they converge on Madison Square Garden for ice hockey, the Barclays Center for figure skating and short-track speed skating and Yankee Stadium for the big air competition. In Lake Placid, legacy Olympic facilities will host alpine and sliding events. From skiing at Whiteface Mountain, which boasts the largest continuous vertical drop in the East, to bobsled at Mount Van Hoevenberg’s historic sliding center, to cross-county skiing through the forests of the Adirondacks, the crowds will be ready to witness new miracles. The true power of this vision lies not in spectacle, but in connection — between city and village. An NYC-Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games will invite every community, every school and every neighborhood to take part. Whether volunteering, hosting, teaching or simply cheering, millions could share in.

The upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games demonstrates how two regions, urban and alpine, modern and traditional, can unite to host a sustainable, multi-centered Games. New York City-Lake Placid can perfect that model. But time is of the essence. The International Olympic Committee now awards the Games more than a decade in advance. New York must begin engaging communities, building partnerships, and defining a shared vision that reflects the soul of our state and the ideals of the Olympics. New Yorkers from every background must create an exploratory committee to consider a joint NYC-Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games. This isn’t a commitment to host the Games, but a chance to decide together whether the dream is right.

If we embrace this dream, residents, athletes, businesses, educators and artists can unite to build a celebration that honors our history, inspires the world and bonds generations of New Yorkers to come. Our state motto, Excelsior, meaning “ever upward,” mirrors the Olympic motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius — Communiter: faster, higher, stronger, together. From the bright lights of NYC to the snowy peaks of Lake Placid, we will always rise ever upward. But by hosting the Winter Olympic Games, we can do it faster, higher, stronger and most importantly, together.

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Carroll represents part of Brooklyn in the state Assembly. Jones previously represented Lake Placid in the Assembly from 2017 to 2025.

Chloe Kelly has been nominated for BBC’s 2025 Sports Personality of the Year award.

Celebrating athletes who make history with their performances, Kelly was recognised for winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League and then going on to score the decisive penalty for England in their UEFA Women’s Euro success against Spain to retain their European crown.

She also scored from the penalty spot in the quarter-final shootout win against Sweden, and netted a last-gasp semi-final winner against Italy as the Lionesses swept to glory again, capping an incredible calendar year for Chloe, who moved to us initially on loan from Manchester City in January, and would eventually finish fifth in the Women’s Ballon d’Or voting.

The other nominees for the award are fellow England teammate Hannah Hampton, rugby union player Ellie Kildunne, darts player Luke Littler, golfer Rory McIlroy and Formula 1 driver Lando Norris.

Voting will take place during the show on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer on Thursday, December 18.

Meanwhile, Michelle Agyemang is in the running for Young Sports Personality of the Year. Michelle enjoyed a successful season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion last season, scoring five times in 22 appearances, before lighting the international stage on fire with England.

Our striker scored 41 seconds into her Lionesses debut in the UEFA Nations League against Belgium, earning her a spot in the squad for Euro 2025. Our striker repaid Sarina Wiegman’s faith, scoring vital late equalisers against Sweden and Italy in the knockout stages, in matches England went on to win as they retained their title, and saw Michelle named the Young Player of the Tournament.

The winner of that award will be selected by a panel of experts and announced during the same ceremony, as will the recipient of the World Sport Star award, which Mariona Caldentey is in contention for – you can vote for her now!

GENEVA (AP) — The IOC took a big step toward reintegrating Russia and Belarus into world sports Thursday by advising governing bodies to let the countries’ youth teams and athletes compete with their full identity of national flag and anthem.

Athletes have “a fundamental right to access sport across the world, and to compete free from political interference or pressure from governmental organizations,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement.

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That message in support of athletes will be welcomed in Russia and Israel, whose athletes have faced recent discrimination, and comes less than three years out from the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games that risks facing political crosswinds in the United States.

The updated strategy on Russia was set at a so-called Olympic Summit — a meeting chaired by IOC president Kirsty Coventry that invites key stakeholders from the Olympic family.

“It was recognized that implementation by the stakeholders will take time,” the IOC said in a statement, adding that each sport’s governing body should decide how to define youth events.

Some sports bodies likely will face resistance from their national member federations, especially in Europe, to the updated IOC advice which repeats that Russia should still not be picked to host international events.

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The IOC’s latest move to ease the sporting isolation of Russia can apply to its own Youth Olympic Games which are held next year in Dakar, Senegal, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13. The Russian Olympic body is still formally suspended by the IOC and currently could not compete with its national identity.

“The above principles should apply to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and are recommended for adoption by all governing bodies and international sports event organizers for their own youth events,” the IOC said.

Russian teams have been fully excluded from international soccer, track and field and other sports since the full military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while Russian and Belarusian athletes in winter sports are now starting to return with neutral status ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.

A small group of Russian and Belarusian athletes competed as neutrals without their national identity at the Paris Summer Games last year, where those countries were banned from team sports.

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A previous attempt to enable Russia’s potential return to youth sports was met with strong pushback by European soccer federations including Ukraine in September 2023.

European soccer body UEFA moved to reintegrate Russian Under-17 teams into its competitions but dropped its policy within weeks amid boycott threats by at least 12 of the 55 member federations.

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AP Winter Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

The participants also received updates on the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games; the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games; the LA28 Olympic Games; and anti-doping matters following the 2025 World Conference on Doping in Sport, which was held earlier this month in Busan, Republic of Korea. 

The Olympic Summit recapped the IOC’s ongoing “Fit for the Future” consultations. “Over the past six months, we’ve experienced a fast-paced environment. Thank you to all of you for your time and effort in providing feedback on the ‘Fit for the Future’ consultations. Your insights have helped us identify both opportunities and challenges, guiding us toward collective success as one Olympic family,” Coventry said when welcoming the participants.  

While discussing the “Fit for the Future” process, the 14th Olympic Summit endorsed the principles established by the IOC’s Working Group on the protection of the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, notably that the existing Principles and Olympic Charter Rules provide strong tools to ensure that the Olympic Movement remains politically neutral.  

During the wide-ranging discussion, the importance of political neutrality for the Olympic Movement was acknowledged, as it allows athletes to access sport across the world without interference. At the same time, it was highlighted that the concept of political neutrality within the Olympic Movement and sport needs clearer definition, and its practical application should be further clarified. The IOC’s Working Group will take this up.  

The Summit also reaffirmed that athletes have a fundamental right to access sport across the world, and to compete free from political interference or pressure from governmental organisations. As role models in society, athletes have at the same time a responsibility and an obligation to respect, uphold and promote the Olympic values, before, during and after competition. 

In light of the discussion around the principles, the Summit supported the IOC EB’s recommendation that youth athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport should no longer be restricted in their access to international youth competitions, in both individual and team sports. The definition of youth competitions and the application of these recommendations depends for this purpose on the regulations of each International Federation (IF). The Summit participants committed to take these discussions back to their organisations for their consideration. It was recognised that implementation by the stakeholders will take time. 

In addition, the standard protocols of the IF or the International Sports Event Organiser regarding flags, anthems, uniforms and other elements should apply, provided that the national sports organisation concerned is in good standing. 

The above principles should apply to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and are recommended for adoption by all IFs and International Sports Event Organisers for their own youth events. 

At the same time, and based on the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, all athletes and their entourage must continue to support the Olympic Movement’s mission to promote unity and peace. Athletes and entourage members who act against this peace mission could be removed from competitions by the IF, their National Federation, their National Olympic Committee or the International Sports Event Organiser. 

In parallel, the IOC’s Recommended Conditions of Participation for International Federations and International Sports Event Organisers of 28 March 2023 should remain in place for senior competitions, and will be reviewed as necessary.  

Existing sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian governments should also remain in place. In particular, the restriction on accreditations or invitations to international sports events or meetings for government officials from Russia and Belarus should remain in place for both senior and youth events.  

IFs should continue to refrain from organising or supporting international sports events in Russia. This recommendation no longer applies to Belarus. 

With its considerations today, the Olympic Summit recognised that athletes, and in particular youth athletes, should not be held accountable for the actions of their governments – sport is their access to hope, and a way to show that all athletes can respect the same rules and each another.  

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

IOC President

Kirsty COVENTRY (Chair)

IOC Vice-Presidents

Juan Antonio SAMARANCH

Nawal EL MOUTAWAKEL

Gerardo WERTHEIN

Pierre-Olivier BECKERS-VIEUJANT (excused)

Athletes’ Commissions

Emma TERHO, Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission

Gaby AHRENS, Chair of the ANOCA Athletes’ Commission

DING Ning, Chair of the OCA Athletes’ Commission

Isabel SWAN, Chair of the Panam Sports Athletes’ Commission (excused)

Johanna TALIHARM, Chair of the EOC Athletes’ Commission (excused)

Ken WALLACE, Chair of the ONOC Athletes’ Commission

International Federations/Associations

Ingmar DE VOS, President of ASOIF

Nenad LALOVIC, IOC EB Summer IF Representative

Ivo FERRIANI, President of WOF

Husain AL-MUSALLAM, President of World Aquatics

Sebastian COE, President of World Athletics

Johan ELIASCH, President of FIS

Gianni INFANTINO, President of FIFA

Jae-youl KIM, President of the ISU

Luc TARDIF, President of the IIHF

Morinari WATANABE, President of the FIG

National Olympic Committees/Associations

Robin MITCHELL, President of ANOC

Mustapha BERRAF, President of ANOCA

Spyros CAPRALOS, President of the EOC

Timothy FOK, Acting President of the OCA

Neven ILIC, President of Panam Sports

Baklai TEMENGIL, President of ONOC (excused)

GAO Zhidan, President of the Chinese Olympic Committee

Gene SYKES, President of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee

Guests

Kristin KLOSTER, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Milano Cortina 2026

Humphrey KAYANGE, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Dakar 2026

Nicole HOEVERTSZ, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for LA28 (excused)

Witold BAŃKA, President of WADA

Valérie FOURNEYRON, Chair of the International Testing Agency (ITA)

Andrew PARSONS, President of the IPC

Observers

Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa AL-THANI, Senior Vice-President, ANOC

Jacques ANTENEN, Chair-elect of the ITA