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≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

● World Games 2029: Karlsruhe ● The sports program for the 2029 World Games, now an informative proving ground for potential Olympic sports, was confirmed by the International World Games Association for the 2029 edition in Karlsruhe (GER).

A total of 29 sports and 62 disciplines will be held, with about 4,000 athletes expected from 100 countries. Sports which were on the Paris 2024 Olympic program or are one-time additions for LA28 include American Football (Flag), DanceSport (Breaking), Gymnastics (Trampoline), Lacrosse (Sixes), Sport Climbing (Boulder, Speed) and Squash.

● Athletics ● “There has been significant progress in the fight against doping in the marathon in the last six to seven years, but there is still a long way to go. There are some top-ranking athletes who engage in doping that is not easily detectable, and this case highlights the need to use sophisticated methods and a high volume of tests to catch them.”

That’s Athletics Integrity Unit head Brett Clothier (AUS), noting a three-year ban accepted by Ethiopian marathoner Tiruye Mesfin, 23, for “abnormalities detected in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).” Added Clothier:

“In this case, thanks to the Athlete Biological Passport, seventeen samples collected over almost three years enabled independent experts to identify a clear pattern that could not be explained by normal physiology or a medical condition.” The pattern identified probable blood doping.

Mesfin has a best of 2:18:35 from 2024 and accepted the penalty on 24 August.

The AIU also announced a provisional suspension for road star Harbert Kibet (UGA) for steroid use. He is the world leader in the road 10 km, at 26:39 from his win in Castellon (ESP) in February, ranking no. 5 all-time.

● Basketball ● FIBA had some fun at its Women’s World Cup in Berlin (GER) with a meme from a photo of U.S. star guard Paige Bueckers – at 6-0 – and China’s 7-3 center Ziyu Zhang from the opener on Friday:

Paige is pure comedy #FIBAWWC https://t.co/se5qLxovMR pic.twitter.com/vTG6YhKA0J

— FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) September 4, 2026

● Boxing ● Paris Olympic women’s 57 kg champion Yu-Ting Lin (TPE) has moved up in weight to 60 kg and will compete in the Asian Games starting 19 September in Nagoya and the Aichi Prefecture in Japan.

Now 30, she was criticized during the Paris Games as having male characteristics, but has been certified by World Boxing in March, which has required all boxers competing in the women’s category to pass a gene test.

She won the Asiad gold at 57 kg in 2022 and considered retiring after her Olympic win and all the controversy. She told Agence France Presse:

“I achieved everything I had worked for. It seemed like a good moment to make a graceful exit. I couldn’t leave the people on my team behind. And I also wanted to see how far my own abilities could go.”

Her clearance to compete also changed her perspective:

“I’m able to continue competing now. In a way that’s a rebuttal to many of the things people were saying before. Right now I feel like things are gradually falling into place for me. This year I started competing again and I’ve gradually regained my reactions and form. It really does feel like I’m getting back into my rhythm.”

At 60 kg, she won a bronze at the Asian Elite Champs in April and a silver at the World Boxing Cup in June. “Moving up a weight class means everything is new for me. It’s a new goal, a new challenge and a new milestone.”

● Cycling ● Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogacar, recovering from injuries suffered from a crash at the Vuelta a Espana, announced Saturday that his season is over:

“Of course, this isn’t the way I wanted my season to finish. Right now, the most important thing is to recover properly and give my body the time it needs. It has been a season with many special moments and I’m proud of what we achieved together. Now I’ll focus on getting healthy, supporting the guys from home, and coming back next year ready for what’s ahead.”

UAE Team Emirates-XRG medical director Dr. Adrian Rotunno (ITA), explained:

“The post-operative clavicle and cervical fracture will both require a structured period of rehabilitation. Equally important is the need for him to progress carefully through a graduated concussion recovery protocol, with ongoing neurological monitoring. Only once he is medically recovered and personally ready, clearance to gradually start increasing training load can be given.

“There is no benefit in accelerating that process simply to meet a racing deadline. Removing the pressure allows Tadej to focus entirely on his recovery, with the objective of returning to full training and competition when he is completely ready.”

Pogacar, however, will be racing with his team for at least six more season, signing a contract through 2032.

● Figure Skating ● It was reported that Russian skater Kamila Valieva, now 20, was declared eligible to return to international competition as a “neutral” by the International Skating Union on 7 August, but has been declared ineligible due to “disqualifying criteria.”

One such criteria is public support for Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine. Valieva infamously served a four-year doping suspension for a positive test on 25 December 2021, nullifying her results from the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

The Russian news agency TASS reported, “Kamila Valieva and Mark Kondratyuk‘s neutral status was revoked on the same day. Both skaters have filed an appeal. If it is rejected, the skaters may take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

● Swimming ● USA Swimming reported that its 2026 National Championships drew total attendance of 18,701 at the William Wollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, California in July, including athletes, coaches and spectators across five days (two sessions per day), an average of 3,740.

The four-day, international Pan Pacific Championships in August had more fans and a lot less swimmers, with 13,439 total, an average of 3,360. Both are quite good for a facility with 700 permanent seats and temporary bleachers brought in to handle the added load.

● Triathlon ● Britain’s Jonny Brownlee, 36, one of the world’s top triathletes for more than a decade, announced his retirement on Friday (4th), telling the BBC:

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I’ve won more than I ever thought I’d ever achieve.

“One thing I’m really proud of is we full on committed to winning Olympic medals and delivering our best performance. And now I just don’t think I can do that any more. It’s over for professional sport, but I don’t think you ever truly stop.”

He was the 2012 World Champion, won the Worlds Sprint title in 2010 and 2011, and won three Olympic medals: a bronze at London 2012, silver at Rio 2016 and a mixed-relay gold at Tokyo 2020.

His older brother Alistair, Olympic champ in 2012 and 2016, also retired at age 36, in 2024.

≡ RESULTS ≡

● Mediterranean Games ● The XX Med Games in Taranto (ITA) were threatened for a long time by funding challenges, but came off successfully, finishing on 3 September. Some 3,854 athletes from 26 countries contested 279 events in 28 sports.

The host Italians had the largest team by far, at 498 entries, and won the most medals with 224 (74-78-72), followed by Turkey (111: 41-28-42) and France (88: 25-21-42). Three athletes won four medals, with Algerian gymnastics star Kaylia Nemour taking three golds and a bronze.

Portugal’s Francesca Soares won a gold and three bronzes in swimming, and Spain’s Alba Petisco took four silvers in women’s gymnastics. Four others also won three golds.

The organizing committee noted, “The ticketing system recorded over 172,500 tickets issued. Football attracted a total of 47,200 spectators, followed by volleyball with 21,000, swimming with over 6,000, and gymnastics with 4,900.”

The event used 3,000 volunteers, had 524 staff members and 5,677 support personnel from supplier companies and contractors.

● Badminton ● Korea’s Olympic women’s champion Se Young An starred at the BWF World Tour China Masters in Shenzhen, winning her sixth World Tour title of 2026, 21-17, 21-6, over Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki.

The all-Hong Kong men’s singles final had Jason Gunawan defeating Cheuk Yiu Lee, 21-9, 21-16, while India won in men’s Doubles, Japan took the women’s Doubles and China won in Mixed Doubles.

● Basketball ● At the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin (GER), most of the teams were suddenly awakened at about 2 a.m. with a fire alarm in the main team hotel, which turned out to be a false alarm. Everyone returned to their rooms a half-hour later.

The U.S. was staying at a different hotel, and played in the late game at 8:45 p.m. local time; this post will be updated with results when available.

The biggest upset of the tournament so far was in Group A, as 18th-seed Mali upended no. 6 Spain, 82-73, in their second games. No. 2 France is 2-0 in Group B and no. 3 Australia is 2-0 in Group C.

The Americans will finish group play on Monday (7th). The knock-out stage will start on the 8th.

● Canoe-Kayak ● Australian superstar Jessica Fox reached another milestone at the Canoe Slalom World Cup in Vaires-sur-Marne (FRA), winning the women’s K-1 in 102.88 seconds (2 penalties), over Eliska Mintalova (SVK: 103.61/0). For Fox, 32, it’s her 90th career World Cup medal, with 59 wins, 21 silvers and 10 bronzes.

Zuzana Pankova (SVK) won the women’s C-1 in 111.85 (2) over Slovenia’s Eva Hocevar (113.59/2), and two-time Worlds runner-up Camille Prigent (FRA) took the Kayak Cross final over Germany’s Tokyo Olympic K-1 champ Ricarda Funk.

Paris Olympic champ Giovanni di Gennaro (ITA) won the men’s K-1 in 87.95 (0) over Paris runner-up Titouan Castryck (FRA: 90.52/2), and Vaclav Chaloupka (CZE: 94.94/0) took the C-1 title, with Ziga Hocevar (SLO: 95.10.2) – the younger brother of Eva – a close second. Britain’s Joseph Clarke, the Paris runner-up, took the men’s Kayak Cross final, ahead of Joris Hello (FRA).

● Cycling ● Saturday’s 14th stage of the 81st Vuelta a Espana featured a shorter, 154.5 km route to Sierra de la Pandera, with a major uphill finish, won by Germany’s Marco Brenner in 4:15:09 in a final sprint with Santiago Buitrago (COL), who finished one second back. The race leader, Spain’s Enric Mas, finished 22nd, but maintained his 2:06 lead on Felix Gall (AUT) – now in second – as four-time winner Primoz Roglic (SLO) dropped to third, down 2:10.

Sunday’s 15th stage was contested in 98 F heat and shortened to a hilly, 110.2 km ride to Cordoba, with Belgian star Wout van Aert winning his second stage of this event – and fifth Vuelta stage in his career – by winning a five-man sprint in 2:35:00. He was just ahead of Alessandro Romele (ITA) and Thibau Nys (BEL).

The race leaders finished in a pack, 2:44 behind, with Mas maintaining his 2:06 lead on Gall and 2:10 on Roglic, going into Monday’s rest day.

● Football ● The FIFA women’s U-20 World Cup started in Poland, with no boycotts by European or other teams, and the sixth-seeded U.S. facing Italy on Sunday, taking the lead in the 18th on a Micayla Johnson goal. But the Italians tied it in the 40th on a Paola Fadda score, then got the winning goal in the 59th from Giada Pellegrino Cimo and a 2-1 victory.

Italy out-shot the U.S., 14-8. The Americans will next face Japan, on 9 September.

● Sport Climbing ● No doubt of the crowd favorite at the World Climbing Series in Lead in Koper (SLO): it’s Slovenia’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Janja Garnbret, the five-time World Cup winner in Lead.

She did not disappoint, winning easily at 42+ in the final, ahead of American Brooke Raboutou, the Paris 2024 silver medalist (33), and Korea’s 2021 World Champion Chae-hyun Seo (32+), with American Annie Sanders fourth (also 32+).

Japan’s Neo Suzuki won his fourth career World Cup gold, taking the men’s final at 33+, ahead of 2025 Worlds silver man Satone Yoshida (30+).

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