\u2605 The Sports Examiner: Chronicling the key competitive, economic and political forces shaping elite sport and the Olympic Movement.\u2605<\/p>\n
\u2605 To get the daily Sports Examiner Recap by e-mail: sign up here<\/a>! \u2605<\/p>\n \u2261 THE 5-RING CIRCUS \u2261<\/p>\n \u25cf International Olympic Committee \u25cf As promised, the IOC\u2019s \u201cFit for the Future\u201d working groups, created last September<\/a>, are coming to a conclusion of their work, and the IOC Executive Board will meet online on Thursday<\/a> to discuss the progress, followed by a news conference.<\/p>\n The four groups include:<\/p>\n \u25cf Commercial Partnerships and Marketing The \u201cProtection of the Female Category\u201d group has drawn a lot of interest and no matter what the recommended outcome, legal challenges are likely from one side or both.<\/p>\n \u25cf Transgender \u25cf On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education \u201cissued a Letter of Impending Enforcement Action<\/a> to San Jose State University (SJSU) for its ongoing refusal to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX).<\/p>\n \u201cIn January, the Department found that SJSU\u2019s policies allowing males to compete in women\u2019s sports and access female-only facilities deny women equal educational opportunities and benefits. OCR [Office of Civil Rights] submitted to SJSU a proposed Resolution Agreement with terms that would have resolved its Title IX violations. SJSU refused to sign it or attempt to negotiate its terms, and has taken no other action to ensure the safety of its female students and deliver equal educational opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter included a 10-day deadline, which if not met, could mean \u201creferral to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and risk of termination of SJSU\u2019s federal funding.\u201d<\/p>\n The notice specified the background as:<\/p>\n \u201cOCR found that beginning in 2022, SJSU actively recruited and allowed a male to compete on the women\u2019s indoor and beach volleyball teams and reportedly instructed members of the coaching staff not to tell the female players that the athlete was a male. As a result, female athletes on the team shared women\u2019s locker rooms and hotel rooms with the male student while being unaware that he is a member of the opposite sex.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25cf Athletics \u25cf Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said that Russian youth and junior athletes will be considered for return<\/a> to international competition by World Athletics in July:<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see how close we are to the start of international competitions in July at the next World Athletics Executive Committee meeting, where the issue of allowing our juniors and young men to compete based on the IOC decision will be discussed. World Athletics has sent out a circular stating that everyone can travel to Russia for competitions. Over the past two years, we\u2019ve hosted 10 international competitions with athletes from more than 25 countries.\u201d<\/p>\n As for seniors, the TASS story noted, \u201cRussian track and field athletes will be barred from competing in World Athletics competitions starting in 2022, even as neutral athletes, due to the situation in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00b6<\/p>\n It was reported that a two-day \u201cDouble London Marathon<\/a>\u201d is being considered for 2027, which would allow for more than 100,000 runners to participate on 24-25 April 2027. The (one-day) race had 56,540 finishers in 2025 and the elite races would be held on both days, separately for men and women.<\/p>\n \u00b6<\/p>\n The Athletics Integrity Unit banned Tanzanian marathoner Jackline Sakilu<\/a> \u201cfor 10 years from 17 September 2025 for Presence\/Use of a Prohibited Substance\u201d including Androsterone, Etiocholanolone, and other metabolites of Testosterone. She had four different doping positives over more than year in 2024 and 2025 and this resulted in the extra-long sanction.<\/p>\n Now 39, Sakilu did not finish at the Paris Olympic marathon in 2024 and has a best of 2:21:17 from March of 2024.<\/p>\n \u25cf Cycling \u25cf The 50th edition of the Ronde van Brugge \u2013 the Tour of Brugge in Belgium \u2013 took place over a flat, 202.9 km route on Wednesday, with a final sprint to the line won by 2019 champion Dylan van Groenewegen (NED), edging home favorite and two-time winner Jasper Philipsen and German Max Kanter, all in 4:15:37. The top 30 riders all received the same time.<\/p>\n The top American was Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost), finishing ninth.<\/p>\n \u25cf Figure Skating \u25cf The ISU World Championships<\/a> opened in Prague (CZE), with three-time World women\u2019s champ Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) showing excellent form and leading a Japanese 1-2 at 79.31 and Olympic fourth-placer Mone Chiba at 78.45.<\/p>\n They were trailed by Americans Amber Glenn (72.65) and Isabeau Levito (72.16), with three American Sarah Everhardt in ninth at 68.74.<\/p>\n The Pairs Short Program saw Olympic bronze winners Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin (GER) lead at 79.78, just slightly up on Georgia\u2019s Olympic silver winners Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (79.45). Canadians Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud stand third (75.52) and the Americans were 6-7-11.<\/p>\n Emily Chan and Spencer Howe scored 69.02 as the U.S. leaders, followed by national champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov (67.29). Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman were 11th at 64.42.<\/p>\n The Pairs Free Skate and the men\u2019s Short Program are slated for Thursday.<\/p>\n \u25cf Football \u25cf To no one\u2019s surprise, the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) has filed an appeal<\/a> with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over its decision to award the Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco by a forfeiture score of 3-0.<\/p>\n Per the Court of Arbitration statement, \u201cthe FSF appeal seeks to set aside the CAF decision and declare the FSF winners of AFCON. It also requests an immediate suspension of the time limit to submit an appeal brief until the CAF decision is notified with full grounds. The CAF decision rendered on 17 March 2026 was operative only.\u201d<\/p>\n On 18 January, Senegal\u2019s team walked off the field to protest a penalty awarded in stoppage time at the end of the match, but eventually returned and won the game, 1-0, in extra time. It has been surmised that the field exit by Senegal was the basis of the forfeiture, but as noted, the full, written decision has not yet been made public.<\/p>\n \u00b6<\/p>\n FIFA announced<\/a> the start of the final phase of ticket sales for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, beginning 1 April at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Tickets will be released continuously through the tournament \u2013 beginning 11 June \u2013 as they become available.<\/p>\n \u25cf Gymnastics \u25cf World Gymnastics announced<\/a> the introduction of the Seiko Rhythmic Gymnastics Real-time Judging Visualization System, at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Sofia (BUL) on 28-30 March.<\/p>\n This is not an automated judging system, but a way to show \u201cthe timing and details of each judge\u2019s deductions.\u201d All relevant scenes can be relayed quickly for quality control of the judging marks. It is, if successful as planned, to be used at the 2026 Rhythmic World Championships from 12-16 August 2026 in Frankfurt (GER).<\/p>\n \u00b6<\/p>\n \u2605 Receive our exclusive, weekday TSX Recap by e-mail by clicking here<\/a>.
\u25cf Protection of the Female Category
\u25cf Olympic Program
\u25cf Youth Olympic Games<\/p>\n
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