Coventry IOC election clears Russia ‘return to Olympic podium’, says Kremlin sport minister March 21, 2025 Russia believes the election of Kirsty Coventry as IOC president can see the banned nation “return to the Olympic podium”. Russian Olympic Committee president and sports minister Mikhail Degtyarev congratulated Coventry on her election, in a vote that surprisingly took just one round to find an overall majority conclusion. Briton Lord Coe got just eight [...]
After IOC election, what are the top Olympic Games priorities? March 21, 2025 It is a new dawn and a new day at the International Olympic Committee, with the post-Thomas Bach era beginning after yesterday’s election. Kirsty Coventry was crowned president of the IOC, one of sport’s biggest and most influential bodies, in Greece last night. She became the 10th president and the first female in the role. [...]
Boxing nearing Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games inclusion March 17, 2025 Boxing’s once uncertain Olympic future appears to have been resolved with the sport set to feature in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. The International Olympic Committee itself organised the sport’s competitions at the last two Games – in Tokyo in 2021 and Paris in 2024 – after governance issues relating to the International Boxing [...]
FA Cup final in Riyadh? Why heritage competitions should follow the money February 27, 2025 Sixteen teams head into this weekend’s fifth round of the FA Cup, their fans celebrating shortening odds of a Wembley semi-final appearance and, in turn, final glory. Most will be oblivious to the £2m prize for the ultimate winners of the trophy. Club owners will likely consider this a paltry reward in itself, although broadcast [...]
Enhanced Games: Trump invests in ‘doped Olympics’ February 13, 2025 The Enhanced Games, a drug inclusive alternative to the Olympics, has bagged Trump family funding as 1789 Capital leads a new funding round. The venture fund is led by investment bank Farvahar Partners CEO Omeed Malik, vice president JD Vance ally Christopher Buskirk – they co-founded The Rockbridge Network together – and the 47th President’s [...]
Olympic Games set to steady ship with major Chinese sponsor February 6, 2025 Consumer electronics firm TCL is reportedly set to become an Olympic partner in a boost to the International Olympic Committee after long-term sponsors jumped ship. The Chinese organisation is in the final stages of signing a deal to join the IOC sponsorship family, according to SportBusiness. In 2023 the cooperation generated £19bn and its subsidiaries [...]
Exclusive: Saudi Arabia readies Olympic Games bid but may hold until 2040 February 4, 2025 Saudi Arabia is readying a bid to host the Olympic Games but is prepared to wait until 2040 to maximise its chances, a leading official has told City AM. Group CEO of Diriyah Company Jerry Inzerillo said it was a “matter of time before Saudi will announce an intention for an Olympic bid”, adding that [...]
Record numbers of UK Anti-Doping whistleblowers come forward January 28, 2025 Whistleblower numbers for suspected sports doping are at a record high in the United Kingdom, according to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). According to its intelligence and investigations team, UKAD states that there were 211 reports of suspected doping misconduct across 30 sports in 2024. That represented an almost three-fold increase since 2020, when the service was [...]
Wada crisis: US Anti-Doping Agency backs government withholding funds January 9, 2025 The US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) has insisted it “fully supports” the US government’s call to withhold millions to the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). Usada chief executive Travis Tygart said withholding the funds, given the US has been Wada’s biggest funder since its founding, was “the only right choice to protect athletes’ rights, accountability and fair [...]
Battle for IOC presidency needs rigorous candidate tests January 2, 2025 The position of president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) isn’t quite the leadership of the free world, but is arguably more influential on the global stage than the heads of many nations, both free and not-so-free. It comes with far fewer constraints on the post-holder’s power too. Little wonder that seven sporting presidents, vice-presidents, [...]