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Record Setting 1.659 Million TV Viewers for Women’s Volleyball Match Continues Historic Season For Big Ten Women’s Sports

November 2, 2023 by Tara S

BIG 10 Sports

ROSEMONT, Illinois – Big Ten women’s volleyball averaged 1.659 million viewers Sunday afternoon on FOX — the largest TV audience on record for a college volleyball match. The regionalized coverage of Wisconsin women’s volleyball hosting Minnesota, and Ohio State taking on Michigan, nearly tripled the previous record established just one week ago when #1 Nebraska defeated the #2 Badgers.

“The profile of women’s athletics in the Big Ten Conference is at an all-time high, with some of the biggest names and brands anywhere in sports,” said Commissioner Tony Petitti. “The collaboration between our staff, our schools, and our broadcast partners has been critical in elevating the platform we provide. With the introduction of strategic scheduling principles overseen by Chief Operating Officer Kerry Kenny and Senior Director Television Administration Grace McNamara, the future of Big Ten women’s sports has never been brighter.”

Sunday’s historic viewership is the latest highlight in an exciting fall for Big Ten women’s sports. Earlier this month, 55,646 fans filled Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium for a women’s basketball exhibition between the Hawkeyes and DePaul Blue Demons, the largest crowd in the history of women’s basketball.

In August, Nebraska volleyball hosted the University of Nebraska-Omaha inside Memorial Stadium in front of the largest crowd to ever witness a women’s sporting event in the United States – 92,003 – breaking the previous record of 90,185 established at the 1999 World Cup soccer final between the U.S. and China at the Rose Bowl.

This undeniable momentum is expected to continue into the winter season when Big Ten women’s basketball tips off in November, with all 126 conference games to be nationally produced and distributed for the 10th consecutive season. The 2023-24 campaign marks the most coverage on nationally distributed platforms in Big Ten women’s basketball history, including six Big Ten regular-season games televised on a broadcast platform, the most in conference history. In addition, the 2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Championship Game will air on CBS, the event’s first appearance on broadcast television.

Color of Hockey: Diop eyes Olympics with France national women’s team

October 31, 2023 by Tara S

By: William Douglas | NHL

Most Americans visit France for its culture and its cuisine.

Noa Diop went for hockey.

The 15-year-old defenseman from Chicago journeyed to France to play last season at Pôle France Féminin, the women’s national training center outside of Paris.

She enrolled to chase her dream of playing for France’s women’s national team program and eventually representing the country in the Winter Olympics.

“I was in an academy with a bunch of France’s strongest players, so it was extremely demanding,” Noa said. “I thought it would be a really great opportunity and be extremely fun to live over there for a year and be able to play for the national team and hope to go to the Olympics.”

Noa left Chicago for France in August 2022 when she was 14 and returned in mid-June. She’ll return to France this week to play in a four-nations tournament against Hungary, Italy and Slovakia at Vaujany in the French Alps from Nov. 9-11.

She hopes the tournament and her work at the training center will earn her a spot on the French team that competes in the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship Division I, Group A in Egna, Italy, from Jan. 6-12, 2024. France will face Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Italy and Japan in the tournament.

“I’m keeping in contact with the U18 national coach and the academy coach in case they need any film or whatever,” she said. “In the United States, I’m practicing with my club team very frequently and we have tournaments very often, so I’m able to prepare and keep up my skill level with them.”

Noa, who received a $3,000 scholarship from the Black Girl Hockey Club in Fall 2022, plays for the Windy City Storm’s Under-16 girls’ team in Chicago.

To become eligible to play for the French national team, she had to relocate there to comply with International Ice Hockey Federation requirements for women’s players who change or acquire another citizenship and want to compete for the first time in IIHF competition representing a new country.

Under IIHF rules, players must have participated on a consistent basis for at least one hockey season and been a member of their new national association for at least eight consecutive months (240 days) during that period.

Sebastien Roujon, the women’s national training center coach, said Noa was a welcome addition to the training center and left a positive impression on her coaches and teammates.

“She has hockey sense, she’s very aggressive, she wins puck battles,” Roujon said. “Her competitiveness is unbelievable.”

In February, Noa was awarded the academy’s Marion Allemoz Trophy, presented monthly to the player who demonstrates the best attitude and work ethic on and off the ice.

The award is named in honor of Allemoz, a longtime captain of the women’s national team and the first French player to play professional women’s hockey in North America as a member of Les Canadiennes of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League from 2016-18.

“During the month of February, in addition to contributing to the first victory of the French U16 women’s team against Hungary, Noa demonstrated all the qualities of a high-level player, while keeping a broad smile,” former training center manager Jean-Baptiste Chauvin said. “If she continues to work … Noa will surely become a respected player for the French teams.”

Noa_Diop_French_womens_national_team_action_2

Noa’s love for France stems from her family background. She is a dual U.S.-French citizen via her father, Ibrahima Diop, who has Senegalese, French and U.S. citizenship, and her mother, Natalie Kissinger, an American from Wisconsin.

Noa attends a French international school at home and speaks the language fluently. Still, the decision to let her play in France initially wasn’t an easy one for her parents or training center officials.

“I mean, Noa’s my first-born,” Diop said. “Initially, we tried to move there, but the logistics were very difficult. I wanted to make sure she was safe — mom and dad were not going to be around the corner.”

Training center officials wondered how an American player would adapt to playing and living in a foreign country.

“It’s not every day that you receive a call from an American mom saying, ‘Look, my daughter has both nationalities, and she wants to play for France,’” Chauvin said.
“Usually, they want to play for USA Hockey, we understand that. It was a little bit surprising, but once you know Noa and Noa’s family, you understand that France is really important to them.”

Noa confessed to a bit of homesickness when she first arrived at the center, but it quickly faded, replaced by the excitement of experiencing something new.

Her parents’ concerns faded as well, eased knowing Diop has relatives in Paris that Noa could visit.

“It was actually a great opportunity for her to get to know them better,” he said. “We were able to host Thanksgiving there last year, so her French cousin experienced an American tradition there.”

As Noa chases joining the French women’s national team, she’s hoping it qualifies for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics. France is currently 13th in the IIHF women’s ranking.

“It would be an amazing opportunity to play in the Olympics,” she said. “And the location itself is a dream location that I’ve always wanted to go to. To go play there and play the sport that I’ve loved since I was 7 years old would be wonderful.”

Brighton ready to spark revolution with women’s football stadium

October 31, 2023 by Tara S

Morgan Ofori | The Guardian

The meeting last week of Brighton and Hove city council was a varied affair: topics ranged from education to the ways net zero can be honoured locally while one member of the public caused a stir by claiming there was an “infiltration” of so-called “extreme gender ideology”. But it was unusually significant, too. Brighton received the go-ahead in principal to find a site for a stadium purpose-built for women’s football.

It is an important moment not just for the club but the women’s game, with Brighton on course to build the first ground in England specifically for a professional women’s team. Since 2018, Brighton have shared Crawley’s Broadfield Stadium, more than 20 miles from the city centre. They have been playing in the Women’s Super League for six seasons, having been a founding member of England’s restructured top tier in 2018-19.

Fran Kirby competes for the ball against Belgium's Féli Delacauw.

The Labour peer Steve Bassam, who was the council leader in 1999 when it supported a move for Brighton’s men’s team to the Falmer site on which the Amex Stadium opened in 2011, called it an “important statement of support” for the development of the women’s game in the UK. “The vote is historic,” he said. “Other towns and cities will follow as the women’s game becomes increasingly popular. Where Brighton and Hove leads others follow.”

It is a far cry from the early days of the women’s team, founded in 1967 as Brighton GPO (General Post Office), four years before a ban on women’s football was lifted by the Football Association. Success was fleeting with the game still not benefiting from mass support. A highlight came in 1975–76 when Brighton reached the Women’s FA Cup semi-final, though they were beaten 8–1 by the eventual winners, Southampton.

In 1990, they linked up with the men’s club and became founder members of the Premier League in 1991–92, in Division 1 South. Since then they have gone from strength to strength.

Brighton’s Charlize Rule makes a headed clearance against West Ham — Brighton’s women play at Broadfield Stadium, Crawley, more than 20 miles away from Brighton city centre. Photograph: Jeff Mood/PPAUK/Shutterstock

Brighton, ninth in the WSL, welcome last season’s runners-up, Manchester United, next Sunday, after the international break. The game is a reminder of the stadium situation facing several WSL clubs: a meetings of two teams forced to host home games at a shared venue.

United play the bulk of their games at Leigh Sports Village, a 12,000-capacity multi-use stadium, though they face the early pacesetters, Manchester City, in the derby at Old Trafford next month.

Two WSL clubs – Leicester and Bristol City – stage all their matches at the same stadium as their male counterparts. Of the other 10, only one – Manchester City – use a purpose-built stadium, shared with the academy. Chelsea share Kingsmeadow with one of the club’s academy teams and the rest share with lower-league or non-league men’s sides, though most use their club’s main stadium at least once a season.

Melissa Phillips, the head coach of Brighton’s women’s team, says a new stadium is fundamental to the club’s ambitions. Photograph: Tom Phillips/SPP/Shutterstock

The leader of Brighton and Hove city council, Bella Sankey, believes its decision can act as a catalyst for sustained success for the women’s side and push development for women’s sport. “I’m ecstatic that the council has voted, unanimously, to support Brighton and Hove Albion to bring the women’s team back to Brighton with a purpose-built stadium,” she said.

“We want to set a new standard, building the first women’s football stadium in the country to provide investment and support for our women’s team and to show local girls that their contribution to sport is valued just as much as the boys.skip past newsletter promotion

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“Just look at the meteoric success of our men’s team once we got Falmer Stadium built, going from near extinction to now playing in Europe. We know that the sky’s the limit for our women’s team if they are given the same opportunities and support.”

Brighton’s men were in the fourth tier and in financial difficulty in the late 1990s. After narrowly avoiding relegation from the Football League in 1997, a takeover saved the club from liquidation. The club moved into the Falmer Stadium after 14 years without a permanent home ground.

Last season, they recorded their highest Premier League finish, sixth, qualifying for European competition for the first time. The council estimated that during the 2022-23 season the club brought £595m to the local economy.

The head coach of the women’s team, Melissa Phillips, said the commitment to a new stadium was vital for their future. “This is another massive first step in our journey back to Brighton and we are excited for what is ahead for this club, community and team,” she said.

“It really emphasises the council’s commitment to the women’s game and the club’s overall ambition towards being a competitive top‑four WSL side.”

Santiago 2023 – Kayla DiCello, Felix Dolci win Pan American Games gymnastics all-around titles

October 25, 2023 by Tara S

By Scott Bregman | Olympics

Canada’s Felix Dolci and the United States’ Kayla DiCello won men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics all-around gold medals Monday (23 October 2023) at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

In the men’s competition, Dolci finished with a 82.531 ahead of Brazilian Diogo Soares (81.865). American Donnell Whittenburg (81.764) was the bronze medallist.

DiCello posted a 54.699 for the women’s title, holding off Brazilian Flavia Saraiva, who tallied 54.565. Team USA’s Jordan Chiles, a Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist, won bronze at 53.999.

“It feels really good. I’m really happy with how I did today,” DiCello told Olympics.com afterward. “This is my first gold medal as an all-around champion, so I’m just really happy.”

Two Olympic Paris 2024 quotas – one in men’s and one in women’s – were on offer Monday. Audrys Nin Reyes of the Dominican Republic and Luisa Blanco of Colombia obtained the quotas by finishing as the highest eligible athletes in the all-around final. Although they obtained a nominative quota, National Olympic Committees (NOC) have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes’ participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.

The quotas will not be confirmed by the International Gymnastics Federation until late spring next year, following the completion of the 2024 World Cup Series and other continental championships.

Having all finished in the top six during yesterday’s team final and individual qualifying round, all three medallists rotated together, starting off on the vault where the trio each delivered clean Yurchenko double twists.

After one rotation, Chiles lead with a 14.300, followed by DiCello’s 14.133 and Saraiva’s 13.966.

DiCello took the lead after the second rotation, scoring a 13.633 on the uneven bars, as Chiles came to grief on the event, adding an extra swing and catching a release element extremely close to the bar. Her 12.700 on the bars dropped her to third behind Saraiva, who posted a 13.533 for a solid routine.

The lead changed once again on the balance beam, as Saraiva used her clean and stylish trademark quality on the apparatus to score 14.166 to take a .799 lead to the final rotation.

But Saraiva opened the door with a shaky floor routine in the final rotation that scored just 12.900. DiCello seized the opportunity, scoring 13.733 to claim the first gold in the event for the U.S. since 2011.

“I did see where I was,” said DiCello of fluctuating leaderboard. “I really just tried not to focus on that and focus on the routine I’m about to do and all the skills, so it didn’t really bother me.”

DiCello only returned to elite training six months ago, announcing in April that she would take a gap year from the University of Florida to pursue a spot on the U.S. team for Paris 2024.

Monday’s result was not one she imagined when she made that decision.

“I could not [have predicted it,]” she said. “I’m just so excited and proud of myself to see how far I’ve come within those past few months.”

Dolci’s historic season

Despite a fall on a release move in the final rotation, Dolci became the first Canadian man to claim Pan Am all-around gold since 1963 when Wilhelm Weiler struck gold.

“That’s crazy,” Dolci said of this 60 years since his countryman took gold at the event. “Winning this gold medal makes me feel really proud, and it just kind of gives me more hope for the future. Obviously, looking forward to Paris. Great, great things are gonna are gonna come, I’m sure of it.”

The gold medal in Santiago is part of unprecedented season for Team Canada in men’s gymnastics that saw them soar to a fourth-place finish during qualifying at the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, just two weeks ago. That performance secured the NOC a five-man team for Paris.

“When we were back at Worlds, we had one goal in mind and one only: it was to qualify a team for the Olympics. We we did that absolutely perfectly,” said Dolci. “Looking forward for the future, the team just wants to build more depth into the athletes, making sure we own our spot. We are one of the best countries in the world now, and we stay that way, that’s as simple as it is.”

Santiago 2023: Azurá Stevens brings 3×3 glory to Team USA

October 25, 2023 by Tara S

By Maggie Hendricks| Olympics

Standing with her 3×3 teammates, Azurá Stevens has an ear-to-ear grin on her face. They had just won the Pan American Games 3×3 women’s tournament for Team USA, and Stevens had excelled in her first try at a different kind of basketball. Stevens’ smile is something fans have grown used to, as it shows even when her team is not winning gold medals.

Stevens’ positivity shows when she is on social media. Her X (formerly known as Twitter) feed is filled with kind and encouraging words. Her Instagram and TikTok often show Stevens doing the latest dance trend, along with her teammates. Even after a WNBA season where her Los Angeles Sparks finished just outside the playoffs, Stevens keeps up the good vibes.

“It’s difficult. Life and the game bring a lot of different challenges. I think just trying to stay grateful for everything, even when things don’t feel like they’re going my way, just staying really positive and being as grateful as I can for every experience, because it brings a learning opportunity and so that’s something that kind of helps me to keep it even. Even when things aren’t,” Stevens said to Olympics.com.

How her parents fuel Stevens

Part of where Stevens learns her lessons about gratitude is from her parents. In 2020, she started a food truck with her parents that serves southern food staples: shrimp, grits and fish. Though her father runs the business, she works on the truck whenever she is home in North Carolina. Stevens said her parents are her biggest inspiration.

“From a young age, they’ve sacrificed so much for me to be able to chase my dreams. They still support me so much,” Stevens said. “They’re a huge inspiration, an example that they set for me growing up and then all the sacrifices they made for me to be able to follow my dreams.”

A new kind of challenge

Her attitude has been helpful as she tried 3×3. Stevens has excelled at five on five basketball. She won a WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky and an NCAA title at UConn, and was a sought-after free agent before she signed with the Sparks in the 2023 offseason. But 3×3? It’s a completely different kind of challenge for the 6-foot-6 (198 cm) player.

“Obviously, you’re not doing full court, which has a lot quicker pace. And there’s a lot of reading and reacting and just sort of slowing down,” Stevens said. “I think that’s something that’s been a little bit of a challenge for me so far as it’s a little bit of a slower pace because it’s half court, you know, but then when you score, you’re right on defense. that point in that regard and continuing to get comfortable with it.”

Now with a 3×3 gold medal in hand, Stevens is considering whether she will play basketball in the offseason. She will return to the Sparks in 2024 for her seventh season in the WNBA, and perhaps, Paris 2024.

“I’d love that opportunity. I’m excited to be part of that pool, and see how it goes from there,” Stevens said.

Pan American Games 2023: Team USA’s Natalia Grossman clinches final gold medal on sport climbing’s continental games debut

October 25, 2023 by Tara S

By Sam Peene | Olympics

Natalia Grossman won gold at the 2023 Pan American Games on Tuesday (24 October) to secure a quota at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

It was an emotional win for the American, who overcame long-time friend and compatriot Brooke Raboutou on the final day of sport climbing’s continental debut**.**

A lot was on the line as the rivals battled towards the Olympic quota and tears flowed for both when the final results were posted.

‘Bittersweet’ is how Grossman described the win.

“Obviously if it were any other competition we’d be so psyched to be one and two, but having only one spot, it’s a bittersweet feeling,” she told Olympics.com after stepping down from the podium with close friend Raboutou who took silver.

The gold was the fourth of four climbing titles awarded at the games, and for the United States, it was a clean sweep.

Brooke Raboutou of USA (c), Natalia Grossman of USA (L) and Alannah Yip of Canada (R) they celebrate with their medals in the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games on October 24 in Santiago, Chile.(SEBASTIAN NANCO/SANTIAGO 2023 via PHOTOSPORT)

After blue skies all afternoon with the snow-capped Andes mountains as the venue’s backdrop, the stadium lights began to malfunction and competition was delayed.

Canada’s Rebecca Frangos completed her run as the malfunctions began, scaling the lead wall as the lights flickered and the audience showed audible concern.

Talking about the delay, Grossman said “I think it actually helped me ’cause I was able to just fuel up and then rest. And so by the time I was on the wall, all the carbs had kicked in and I was like, let’s go.”

She climbed the wall with precision and control and came within inches of completion before falling and taking a final score of 88.1.

Raboutou did all she could to make up for her 14.9 point deficit from her rival after the boulder portion, but even with a lead score of 96, she was unable to come back.

The boulder section kicked off the day and Grossman dominated. The 22-year-old looked like a seasoned pro as she flowed through both boulders two and three smoothly, completing both on her first attempt in under a minute and a half to look back at the crowd and flash a smile.

She was the only athlete to complete the first three successfully, but fell just short of completion on the fourth to end her perfect streak.

Santiago native Alejandra Contreras finished sixth in the boulder and lead portions and was a crowd favorite. The audience cheered, waved the Chilean flag and held posters with her name drawn in large red, white and blue letters.

National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective NOC teams at the Olympic Games. Athletes’ participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.

SANTIAGO, CHILE Ð OCT 24: Natalia Grossman de Estados Unidos en accion en Escalada durante los Juegos Panamericanos Santiago 2023 el 24 de octubre en Santiago, Chile./ Natalia Grossman of USA in action during the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games on October 24 in Santiago, Chile. (Foto de Dante Fernandez/ Santiago 2023 v’a Photosport).(DANTE FERNANDEZ/SANTIAGO 2023 via PHOTOSPORT)

Results from men’s boulder and lead at Pan American Games 2023:

Boulder Stage

Natalia Grossman, 84.3
Brooke Raboutou, 69.4
Alannah Yip, 64.7
Anastasia Sanders, 39.0
Valentina Aguado, 34.8
Indiana Champman, 34.7
Alejandra Contreras, 34.5
Rebecca Frangos, 29.3

Lead Stage

Brooke Raboutou, 96.0
Natalia Grossman, 88.1
Anastasia Sanders, 76.1
Alannah Yip, 64
Rebecca Frangos, 57.1
Alejandra Contreras, 57.0
Valentina Aguado, 54.0
Indiana Champman, 51.1

Iowa draws 55,646 to set record for women’s basketball game

October 18, 2023 by Tara S

ESPN Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Lisa Bluder’s idea turned into history.

The Iowa coach came up with the plan for her team to play an outdoor game at Kinnick Stadium, with the hope of setting a women’s basketball single-game attendance record.

Iowa did that, and more.

The Hawkeyes’ 94-72 exhibition win over DePaul in the “Crossover at Kinnick” on Sunday drew 55,646 fans, almost doubling the previous record of 29,619 set by Connecticut and Oklahoma in the 2002 NCAA championship game at San Antonio’s Alamodome.

“You know, you can have an idea and it could fall flat if nobody shows up,” Bluder said. “But, man, Hawk fans showed up today. Fifty-five thousand, breaking the record, getting to play outside. … It was a dream. It really was. It was just fabulous.”

“Fifty-five thousand? That’s pretty incredible,” said Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, the reigning national player of the year, who put up a triple-double of 34 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. “It’s hard to kind of imagine yourself playing basketball in front of 55,000.”

Bluder’s idea for an outdoor game came to her when 9,000 fans showed up for a campus celebration in April upon the Hawkeyes’ return from the NCAA championship game against LSU.

Sunday’s game was played under partly cloudy skies, with temperatures in the 50s and a gusty wind swirling around the north end zone where the court was set up.

“Great weather,” Bluder said. “It was raining all week, and then great weather today? I’m so thankful.”

The wind played havoc with some of the shots. The Hawkeyes were 36-of-73 from the field but just 6-of 22 on 3-pointers and 16-of-30 on free throws.

Clark hit one of her familiar long-range 3-pointers early in the second quarter, but she also air-balled a free throw in the second half.

“It was a little windy,” Clark said. “The cold was perfectly fine. It was a bit chilly, and I’m glad we play an indoor sport. I promise I’ll never air-ball a free throw again. The wind took that one, for sure.”

The game was Iowa’s answer to August’s “Volleyball Day in Nebraska,” an outdoor doubleheader featuring the national power Nebraska Cornhuskers and three other in-state college teams that drew 92,003 to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln for the highest documented attendance ever for a women’s sporting event.

“I think this was amazing,” DePaul guard Michelle Sidor said. “Sixty thousand people coming out for women’s basketball was pretty special.”

Women’s and girls basketball has a long and rich history in Iowa. Girls played six-on-six high school basketball more than a century ago — three offensive players, three defensive players, only two dribbles and none allowed to cross half court. The girls’ basketball state tournament, first held in 1920, was a huge event televised statewide and in neighboring states until the five-player game took over in the 1980s.

Last year, the Hawkeyes ranked second nationally in attendance and Iowa State was seventh.

“We’ve had basketball here since the 1920s,” Bluder said, noting that associate head coach Jan Jensen’s grandmother is in the state girls high school hall of fame. “I mean, this is deeply rooted in this state. So it’s just perfect that it was here.”

Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke, who grew up in nearby Cedar Rapids, said, “Breaking the record in our home city, my home state, is really amazing. I think it’s just really cool being able to change the game and change people’s mindset on basketball.”

Players and coaches from both teams also participated with the crowd in “The Hawkeye Wave,” the tradition of fans at Kinnick waving to young patients and their families who are watching games through the windows at the adjacent Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Proceeds from the game are being directed to the hospital. A check for $250,000 was presented during a break in the game. Among the attendees were former Iowa players Megan Gustafson, the 2019 national player of the year, and Kathleen Doyle, the 2020 Big Ten player of the year.

“Before the game, I just talked to them about this being a historic day for us,” Bluder said. “How we were playing for more than just ourselves. Playing for the university, fighting for the children’s hospital. We just talked about playing for everybody else and and not for ourselves.”

Bluder’s team has never been more popular in the state. The program is coming off its best season, Clark is the returning Associated Press player of the year and a show-woman with her deep 3-pointers. Every home game this season is sold out.

“It’s hard to really wrap your head around everything that’s happening,” Clark said. “Obviously, you can imagine it but it’s never the same until you’re actually in the experience enjoying it and loving it.”

IOC Session approves LA28’s proposal for five additional sports

October 18, 2023 by Tara S

By: International Olympic Committee

Baseball/softball, cricket (T20), flag football, lacrosse (sixes) and squash have been officially included as additional sports on the programme for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 (LA28). The decision has been taken by the 141st Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The five sports were proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee as a package for their edition of the Games only, and were reviewed and supported by the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission (OPC) and Executive Board (EB).

For baseball and softball, cricket and lacrosse it will be a return to the Olympic Games, while flag football and squash will be making their Olympic debut in LA.

Baseball and softball have been part of the programme at several editions of the Olympic Games, most recently at Tokyo 2020.
Cricket was on the programme for the Olympic Games Paris 1900.
Lacrosse was included on the programme at St Louis 1904 and London 1908.
Flag football and squash will make their Olympic debut at LA28.

“The choice of these five new sports is in line with the American sports culture and will showcase iconic American sports to the world, while bringing international sports to the United States. These sports will make the Olympic Games LA28 unique,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Their inclusion will allow the Olympic Movement to engage with new athlete and fan communities in the US and globally.”

“I have long believed that we have an incredible opportunity in Los Angeles to create the most compelling Games, not just for us, but for the world. Our Olympic sport programme, in its entirety, reflects this belief,” said LA28 Chairperson Casey Wasserman. “We are excited to embark on game-changing collaborations with major professional leagues that will unlock massive opportunities to amplify the Olympic and Paralympic story and captivate new audiences.”

This selection of sports is the result of a thorough process and analysis based on evaluation criteria set out before the process began, including gender equality. It considered the utilisation of existing facilities, involving a wide range of sports communities both in the United States and globally, and incorporating some of the most popular sports in the United States and across the globe.

Modern pentathlon and weightlifting

The IOC Session also supported the recommendations made by the IOC EB concerning the status of modern pentathlon and weightlifting, which were not part of the initial sports programme for LA28.

Modern pentathlon: The IOC Session endorsed the recommendation from the IOC EB to include modern pentathlon on the LA28 sports programme, acknowledging the replacement of horse riding with obstacle racing and the optimisation work conducted by the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) to reduce costs and complexity. As noted by the IOC EB, it is essential for the UIPM to continue to implement the necessary changes in governance and modernise as an organisation. Without the replacement of horse riding with obstacle racing, the sport would not have been included in the programme.
Weightlifting: The IOC Session accepted the IOC EB’s recommendation to include weightlifting on the LA28 sports programme following the decision of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to delegate its anti-doping management to the International Testing Agency (ITA), and its sanctioning to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) at least until the end of 2028. The effectiveness of the anti-doping programmes for the Paris 2024 Olympic qualification and Olympic competition will continue to be closely monitored by the IOC, as will the implementation of the governance and cultural changes adopted by the IWF.

Following the IOC Session decision to withdraw recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA), the IOC has not recognised another governing body for Olympic boxing. Therefore, the IOC EB decided that any decision regarding the inclusion of boxing on the LA28 sports programme is put on hold, so there was no discussion of this by the IOC Session.

The other 28 sports that are part of the LA28 Olympic programme were approved by the IOC Session in February 2022.

The discipline programme was approved by the IOC EB on 13 October 2023, while the programme of events and athlete quotas will be finalised after Paris 2024. The OPC will now work on ensuring that the final athlete quota numbers for the Olympic Games LA28 remain reasonable and below the overall quota for Tokyo 2020.

2028 Olympics Expected to Include Softball

October 10, 2023 by Tara S

D1Softball Staff

Softball was shut out the first two times the Summer Olympics came to Los Angeles. It appears the sport won’t miss out when the Games return to the city in 2028.

Softball is among five sports that local organizers have proposed for inclusion in 2028 program, along with the event’s regular program. LA28, the local organizing body, proposed softball, baseball, cricket, flag football and squash for inclusion. Although expected to be a formality, the additions aren’t official until approved by the International Olympic Committee in a vote on Oct. 16 in Mumbai.

No details were included on the intended format or facilities. In Tokyo, the tournament consisted of six teams, down from eight teams in each of the sport’s previous four Olympics tournaments. As in previous editions, rosters were limited to 15 athletes.

As part of Olympic reforms and retooling over the past decade, organizing committees have the ability to propose sports for inclusion on a one-time basis, often to appeal to local audiences or specific demographics. Inclusion in 2028 would not guarantee that softball will be part of the 2032 program in Brisbane, Australia.

First included in the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, softball was part of the program through the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Dropped, along with baseball, following Beijing, the sport returned in 2021 as part of the delayed Tokyo Olympics—again as a sport included by local organizers, rather than the IOC’s regular slate of sports.

In Los Angeles, the United States will hope to snap a 24-year gold medal drought. Japan defeated the U.S. for gold in both 2008 and 2021.

Olympics aside, the United States is the three-time reigning world champion, having won the WBSC World Cup (formerly World Championship) in 2016, 2018 and 2022. Among members of the U.S. team coached by Heather Tarr that won the 2022 world title in Birmingham, Ala., Ally Carda would be 35 in 2028—the oldest among players who took the field in the gold medal game and have not retired.

The 28 sports already part of the 2028 program are: Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Canoe, Cycling, Equestrian, Fencing, Field hockey, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Judo, Rowing, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Soccer, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball (beach and indoor) and Wrestling.

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