After losing IOC election, how about Seb Coe for chair of football regulator? March 27, 2025 It was, with hindsight, not a “keep Seb Coe out” but a “get Kirsty Coventry in” campaign that determined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidential election outcome. I was as guilty as most British observers in believing that Seb Coe would take it to the wire. Unconscious bias and all that. In the event, 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. [...]
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 [...]
IOC in dock over boxing gender row as IBA takes Trump-inspired legal action February 10, 2025 The International Boxing Association (IBA) has launched legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over its inclusion of gender eligibility row boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting at the Paris 2024 Games. Citing President Trump’s recent order banning trans athletes from women’s sport, the IBA said it was filing official complaints with the attorney [...]
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 [...]
2026 World Cup: Visa backlog could keep teams and fans locked out of US January 30, 2025 US officials have raised concerns that visa backlogs may prevent overseas football fans and even teams from attending the men’s 2026 World Cup. Wait times for interviews for business and tourism visas exceed 330 days at 18 US embassies and consulates, the LA Times reported. With tickets for the World Cup not expected to go [...]
No noise LA fires could impact 2028 Olympic Games, UK broadcaster says January 23, 2025 LA Olympics broadcaster Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t believe recent Los Angeles fires will impact the 2028 Games. Wild fires have swept across swathes of California in recent months, causing huge amounts of damage and forcing mass evacuations. The city is set to host the next summer Olympics, in 2028, following on from Paris last year. [...]
Paris 2024 Olympic medals to be replaced after they flake and rust January 21, 2025 Red-faced Olympics chiefs have pledged to replace defective medals from the Paris 2024 Games after more than 100 athletes complained that they have begun to flake and rust. Just days after the closing ceremony, disgruntled athletes began sharing pictures of their damaged medals on social media and demanding they be replaced. American skateboarder Nyjah Huston [...]
Forget the gloom, sport’s broad palette offers many reasons be cheerful January 16, 2025 Elite sport may make us despair at times but we shouldn’t forget that the wider ecosystem offers so many opportunities to connect and participate, says Ed Warner. Memo to self: don’t always be a miserabilist. The data says that the most upbeat editions of this column garner as many readers as the more downbeat. So, [...]