Coleman, Crouser win at Indoor Worlds; Salt Lake ‘34 bid in; Paris 2024 village done, U.S. Olympic Commission report is out

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≡ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ≡

● Athletics ● The first day of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow (GBR), with American Ryan Crouser taking his first World Indoor gold and Christian Coleman getting back on top of the 60 m podium for the first time since 2018.

● Men/60 m: Americans Christian Coleman and Noah Lyles breezed into the semis, and then Coleman unloaded a equal-world-leading 6.43 to win semi one. Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake won semi two at 6.52 and Lyles romped to a 6.47 win in semi three.

In the final, Coleman and Lyles were in lanes four and five, and Coleman got his patented lightning start – at 0.127, easily the best in the field – and rocketed to the front, winning in a world-leading 6.41 for his second career World Indoor gold.

Lyles closed hard for second in 6.44, his second-fastest 60 m ever, just ahead of Jamaica’s Blake (6.46) and Ferdinand Omanyala (KEN: 6.56). Coleman’s 6.41 is the equal-eighth performance of all-time and he has five of the 12 – there are four 6.41s now – just ahead of former world-record man Maurice Greene (USA), who has four. Coleman has also won medals in the last three World Indoors – gold-silver-gold – and is only third to win the event twice, with Bruny Surin (CAN: 1993-95) and American Justin Gatlin (2003-12).

● Men/Shot: World-record holder Ryan Crouser of the U.S., throwing fifth, took the lead in the first round at 22.36 m (73-4 1/2), ahead of 2016-18 World Indoor gold medalist Tom Walsh (NZL: 22.07 m/72-5).

Nothing changed until the fourth round, when Crouser uncorked a new leader, at 22.51 m (73-10 1/4) to extend his edge over Walsh. And then Crouser went further in round five, with a World Indoor Champs record of 22.77 m (74-8 1/2), the no. 3 indoor throw in history! He finished with 22.69 m (74-5 1/2), the number fourth throw in indoor history (he has all four) and won his first World Indoor gold, the only significant title which had eluded him. Crouser now has two Olympic golds, two World Championships golds and a World Indoor title, avenging his upset silver in 2023.

Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri was third with his first-round throw of 21.96 m (72-0 3/4); American Roger Steen was 11th at 19.97 m (65-6 1/4).

● Women/High Jump: Six cleared 1.92 m (6-3 1/2), four cleared 1.95 m (6-4 3/4), and then defending champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) took over with a first-try clearance at 1.97 m (6-5 1/2).

She was joined by Olympic silver winner Nicola Olyslagers (AUS) on her second attempt, and they were the only ones to clear. At 1.99 m (6-6 1/4), only Olyslagers could clear, earning her first World title, after a Tokyo silver and a Budapest bronze last year. Mahuchikh suffered her first loss since last July, but collected her fifth career Worlds medal (2-3-0).

Slovenia’s Lia Apostolovski for the bronze by equaling her lifetime best at 1.95 m on her first try; U.S. champion Vashti Cunningham was entered, but did not compete.

● Women/Shot: The first final of the meet was a come-from-behind victory for Canada’s Sarah Mitton in the women’s shot, as German Yemisi Ogunleye took the lead immediately with a lifetime best of 20.19 m (66-3) in the first round. The chase was on and Mitton finally caught up, at 20.20 m (66-3 1/4) in round four and then extending to an indoor personal best of 20.22 m (66-4 1/4) in the final round.

It’s Mitton’s first Worlds gold, after an outdoor Worlds silver in 2022, and the first Worlds medal for Ogunleye. American Chase Jackson, the outdoor World Champion in 2023, reached 19.67 m (64-6 1/2) in round two and earned the bronze. Fellow American Maggie Ewen was sixth at 18.96 m (62-2 1/2).

● Women/Pentathlon: World U-20 heptathlon champ Saga Vanninen (FIN) led after the first day at 2,883 with defending champ Noor Vidts (BEL: 2,845) second and American Chari Hawkins third (2,773). Vidts won the long jump to get within 3,861-3,852, and in the 800 m finale, she was third in 2:12.99 and won her second consecutive World Indoor gold at 4,773. Vanninen was eighth in a lifetime best of 2:20.54 and took the silver at 4,677.

Sofie Dokter (NED: 4,571) collected the bronze and Hawkins was seventh, with 4,388. Vidts becomes the first ever to repeat as World Indoor champion in this event.

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In the morning qualifying, the U.S. failed to advance in the men’s 400 m and women’s 800 m. Jacory Patterson (47.04) and Brian Faust (47.11) were 13th and 14th overall in the 400 and Allie Wilson was 10th overall (2:01.66), but fourth in her heat, and Addy Wiley was 17th overall (2:02.69).

Evening qualifying events saw Nikki Hiltz get a lifetime indoor best of 4:04.34 to win heat two of the women’s 1,500 m (and was the fastest overall qualifier), and Emily Mackay qualified third (4:08.04). Cole Hocker of the U.S. took the lead on the final lap and won the first men’s 1,500 m heat in 3:39.32, with two-time defending champ Samuel Tefera (ETH: 3:39.66) third. World Road Mile champ Hobbs Kessler of the U.S. was a close second in his heat, qualifying in 3:39.07 behind Kenyan Vincent Keter (3:38.96, best of the day).

In the women’s 400 m semis, the Dutch duo of Lieke Klaver and world-record holder Femke Bol won in 51.18 and 50.66, with Americans Talitha Diggs and Alexis Holmes both second, in 51.28 and 50.99, respectively. Belgium’s Alexander Doom won the first men’s 400 semi at 45.69, with Norway’s 400 m hurdles superstar Karsten Warholm taking the second in 45.86.

The meet continues tomorrow and Sunday; in the U.S., it’s being shown live on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, but will be simulcast on Peacock and NBC on Sunday from 2-5 p.m. Eastern.

≡ THE 5-RING CIRCUS ≡

1. Salt Lake City 2034 bid submitted to IOC

2. L.A. City Council committee OKs $6.9 million contract with LA28

3. Macron promises swim in the Seine at Village ceremony

4. U. S. Olympics Commission report asks SafeSport reforms

5. USOPC sponsor Hershey issuing Reese’s medals!

● Salt Lake City sent its completed Preferred Host Submission to the International Olympic Committee on Thursday and will await an April visit from the Future Host Commission.

● A Los Angeles City Council committee handling Olympic affairs recommended for approval a $6.9 million contract with the LA28 organizers for reimbursement of City staff time spent on the Games from 2023-28.

● The report of the Commission on the State of the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics is out, with 12 recommendations, focusing primarily on a reform of the U.S. Center for SafeSport and suggesting the formation of a federal agency to oversee youth sports development in the U.S.

● A new summer shape for Reese’s – “medals” – is debuting soon, in honor of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games!

● Panorama: Paris 2024 (Toyota begins vehicle deliveries for Games) = Pan American Games (Panam Sports will visit ‘27 candidates Lima and Asuncion next week) = Athletics (McLaughlin-Levrone debuts new New Balance collection) = Figure Skating (Liu announces return to competition in 2024-25) ●

1. Salt Lake City 2034 bid submitted to IOC

Dramatically staging the pressing of a button on a computer that uploaded the completed Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games submittal for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games to the International Olympic Committee, officials declared complete the written bid segment of its “Preferred Host Submission.”

The button was pressed at 9:19 a.m. Mountain Time in the Gold Room of the State Capitol in Salt Lake City, in the presence of Governor Spencer Cox, Mayor Erin Mendenhall and legislative leaders.

Bid chair Catherine Raney Norman explained, “Today was a really important and pivotal step in us continuing to put forth Utah as a candidate for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.” Bid chief executive Fraser Bullock added, “Today was such a monumental day in our journey to bring the Games back to Utah.”

The bid package was assembled by Darren Hughes, who also worked on the highly-successful Olympic Winter Games in 2002 and was created in three parts:

Future Host Questionnaire:

● 43 questions, answered in 30,497 words

● Two maps and 14 tables or graphics were also included

Annexes:

● 32 parts, comprising 343 pages, six maps, 26 site plans, 52 spreadsheets and 18 studies and reports

Guarantees:

● 73 guarantee letters, 203 contracts and 4,545 pages.

From here, the timeline has been established all the way to Paris and possible award of the 2023 Games:

● 29 Feb.: Preferred Host Submission sent to the IOC

● 29 Mar.: Remaining guarantee documents to be submitted

● 09 Apr.: IOC Future Host Commission visit (to 13 April)

● 12 Jun.: IOC Executive Board can recommend award (12-14 June)

● 24 Jul.: IOC Session can formally award the Games

The possible selection date of 24 July was purposeful as it is also Pioneer Day in Utah, a state holiday remembering the immigration to the Salt Lake Valley, starting with Brigham Young in 1847.

Hughes explained that a joint marketing agreement with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is still being finalized, along with advertising space contracts to prevent ambush marketing.

The bid proposed a sports program similar to the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, without ski mountaineering – which was added for 2026 at the request of the Milan Cortina organizers – and did not propose any added or new events. All events will take place at currently existing sites.

2. L.A. City Council committee OKs $6.9 million contract with LA28

The Games Agreement between the City of Los Angeles and the LA28 organizing committee requires the organizers to reimburse the City for expenses related to the Games that go beyond any services that the City normally provides in the absence of the Games.

On Thursday, the City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games approved, with a minor amendment, a contract with the LA28 organizing committee that will reimburse $6,894,845 for “for services by City Liaison staff on City matters mutually deemed to be in direct support of either the OCOG or the 2028 Games” from mid-2023 through 31 August 2028.

The City, for its part, will be required to prepare detailed back-up of hours worked, by whom and the relationship of the work to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The primary liaison offices with LA28 will be the City Administrative Officer, City Attorney, Chief Legislative Analyst and the Mayor’s Office.

The clock is already running and LA28 owes – waiting for the agreement to be formally confirmed – $344,742 for the last six months of 2023. The organizing committee will pay $1.034 million for these services in 2024 and 2025, then $1.723 million in 2026 and 2027, and $1.034 million for the partial year in 2028.

There will be additional agreements with the City for specific services requested at specific Olympic and Paralympic venues and other “enhanced” services provided by the City.

The agreement now moves to the City Council for consideration. With LA28 having moved on from chief executive Kathy Carter and chief business officer Brian Lafemina, the agreement is to be signed by chief operating officer John Harper.

The Ad Hoc Committee also discussed the continuing LA28 efforts with its working groups on local hiring, procurement and sustainability, and approved without comment reports on the LA28 Youth Sports Partnership for 2022-23 and the request for Youth Sports Partnership funding for 2024-25.

There was a spirited discussion with Department of Cultural Services head Daniel Tarica about the City’s own plans for arts and culture programming. Considerable discussions have been held, but no firm plans or budgets submitted and further discussion was tabled in order to involve more Council committees on the topic.

3. Macron promises swim in the Seine at Village ceremony

The “key” to the 2024 Olympic Village in Paris was ceremonially handed to Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet on Thursday, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron, who was thrilled and commended the government’s Solideo Olympic construction agency:

“They can be proud, they have kept their promises, both in terms of deadlines and budgets. We are a country of builders and despite the Covid crisis, two years of inflation, the war in Ukraine, we have achieved France’s biggest project in record time.

“Here we see the buildings that will be built in 2040, capable of withstanding the climatic conditions of 2050, both cold and heat. …

“The Games create annoyances, but they leave a legacy. Without the Games, all these houses that will remain would not have been created. The athletes will be able to spend the Games in the best conditions, we are going to welcome everyone here.”

The Village complex includes 82 buildings, 3,000 apartments and 7,200 rooms, with rooms for restaurants, shops, schools, two parks and a lot more.

One element missing from the housing complexes is air conditioning, intentionally not installed as an environmental measure. Yann Krysinski (FRA), the Solideo Senior Vice President told Reuters :

“We have designed these buildings to be comfortable places. We don’t need air conditioning in them because we have oriented the facades so that they don’t get too much sun during the summer.

“We are also providing natural cold water that we are obtaining from the underground to cool the air in these apartments. So air conditioning won’t be needed here in summer.”

Reporters asked Macron if he will swim in the Seine River as a further celebration of works which were spurred on by having the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. The answer:

“You bet I will. I will do it. But I won’t give you the date, or you risk being there.”

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has spearheaded the Seine water-quality project, has also promised to swim in the river prior to the Games.

4. U. S. Olympics Commission report asks SafeSport reforms

The Congress-appointed Commission on the State of the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics issued its 277-page report on Friday, with 12 specific recommendations for the future of the Olympic Movement in the United States. The overarching view was:

“We need a better long-term vision for how we organize Olympic- and Paralympic-movement sports in America: one that ensures participants’ safety, promotes equitable access, and holds governing systems accountable through transparency and a commitment to due process.

“Several of our recommendations specifically ask Congress to enact new legislation amending and updating the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. Much of the work of reframing the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movement’s organizing system would be best realized by enacting a new, twenty-first-century version of that statute.”

Not a huge surprise for a Congressional commission to ask for Congressional action. The 12 recommendations:

● 1. “Congress should allow USOPC to focus on high-performance athletes and create a new federal office to coordinate and develop youth and grassroots sports.”

● 2. “Congress should make SafeSport fully independent so it can earn athletes’ trust and be held more accountable to the movement and the public.”

● 3. “Congress should reform certain SafeSport practices and reimagine the way SafeSport operates at the youth and grassroots level.”

● 4. “The terms ‘amateur’ and ‘amateurism’ should finally be retired from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movement, and athletes’ rights – when participating in movement sports – should be enshrined in law.”

● 5. “USOPC governance processes must be improved.”

● 6. “Congress should strengthen athletes’ representation by making the Team USA Athletes’ Commission fully independent.”

● 7. “Congress should enhance public oversight of the movement to ensure transparency, accountability, and due process at all levels.”

● 8. “Access and equality for Paralympians and those participating in para sports at all levels must be improved.”

● 9. “Congress, state governments, USOPC, the NCAA, and other stakeholders should take concrete steps to improve equitable access to movement sports.”

● 10. “USOPC should adopt a new model for organizing U.S. bids to host the Olympic and Paralympic games.”

● 11. “Congress, USOPC, governing bodies, and other stakeholders should partner to improve coaching at all levels.”

● 12. “Congress and state legislatures should think creatively about new and supplementary funding sources to support youth and grassroots sports and the safety and wellbeing of our high-performance athletes.”

Eight of the 12 recommendations ask for Congressional action and asks for independent funding of the U.S. Center for SafeSport and a new federal agency for youth sports development. The report suggests that USOPC funding be directed to an independent “Team USA Athletes Commission” and asks for a new “Inspector General for Sport” or similar position within the General Accountability Office.

There is much more to unpack from this report. In today’s fractious political climate and as college football threatens to destroy the entire collegiate athletics system, it is hard to see how many of these issues will go very far, with the exception of the SafeSport reforms, which are likely to draw bipartisan support.

But that’s in the future. The Commission has come and gone. Now the politics start.

5. USOPC sponsor Hershey issuing Reese’s medals!

The happiest Olympic news of the week was the introduction of “Reese’s Medals ,” a new shape for the popular candy saluting the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Apparently already on sale in some locations, the “medals” are an upside-down triangle with a pendent at the bottom, mimicking the shape of an Olympic medal with the neck lanyard at the top.

Packaging options include a single, 1.2 oz. “medal,” a two-pack and a four-pack. Pricing was shown at Kroger stores at $1.66 for the single medal.

Look for these to be featured more and more as the Paris Games get closer!

≡ PANORAMA ≡

● Olympic Games 2024: Paris ● Olympic sponsor Toyota announced it has begun vehicle deliveries for the Games, with 2,650 electric vehicles to be provided, including 250 Accessible People Movers (APM) for last-mile service, especially helpful for Paralympians. Moreover:

“Toyota has unveiled a wheelchair e-puller for the Games, which converts a classic mechanical wheelchair into a battery-powered electric mobility solution, giving more freedom of movement to wheelchair users, while it has also provided its innovative C+Walk S mobility scooters to Paris 2024 employees with disabilities, enabling them to move freely around the Organising Committee’s headquarters.”

● Pan American Games 2027 ● Panam Sports will make its decision on the new site for the 2027 Pan American Games on 12 March, but said Friday it will be sending inspection teams to both Asuncion (PAR) and Lima (PER).

A delegation of eight will visit Lima, site of the 2019 PAG, will be first, on 4-5 March and Asuncion on 6-7 March. The vote will be on 12 March with the session beginning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time and each candidate given 40 minutes to present their bid.

The originally-elected host, Barranquilla (COL), was removed for repeated contract breaches at the beginning of the year.

● Athletics ● World-record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) hasn’t been seen on a track since last July, but will be styling when she debuts, after New Balance announced a new collection on Friday.

It includes three shoes: a lifestyle shoe, a performance shoe and new competition spikes and apparel, in an off-white shade, with a varsity jacket, a terry lounge set and leggings.

● Figure Skating ● Former prodigy Alysia Liu, a two-time U.S. women’s champion and still just 18, is returning to skating for 2024-25, after retiring following a bronze medal at the 2022 ISU World Championships. She said for a U.S. Figure Skating post:

“It was good for me to take time off from skating, and I am beyond excited to begin skating again with my newly found perspective.”

She won national titles in 2019 (at 13) and 2020 and was a member of the Beijing 2022 U.S. Olympic Team, finishing sixth in the women’s Singles.

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