Olympics – Winnipeg Free Press

In this photo provided by Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Service, Azebaijan's President Ilham Aliyev writes a message in a condolence book for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Iranian Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Service via AP)

War on Iran forces postponement of global sports conference in neighboring Azerbaijan

The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 11:01 AM CDT

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The war on Iran by the United States and Israel has forced the postponement of a global conference of Olympic and international sports officials in neighboring Azerbaijan.

The SportAccord conference was scheduled for May 24–28 in Baku which is about 560 kilometers (350 miles) from Tehran.

“Azerbaijan has proven itself to be a safe and reliable partner to sport’s stakeholders,” the country’s sports minister Farid Gayibov said on Thursday in a statement by Lausanne-based organizers of SportAccord, which pledged to announce new dates in Baku “in due course.”

The annual conference has traditionally been a forum for cities to lobby and campaign for Olympics and sports event hosting, but has been held just once since 2019.

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Olympic champion Caster Semenya disappointed with Kirsty Coventry after IOC’s transgender decision

The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Olympic champion Caster Semenya disappointed with Kirsty Coventry after IOC’s transgender decision

The Associated Press 4 minute read Sunday, Mar. 29, 2026

CAPE TOWN (AP) — Two-time Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya on Sunday expressed her disappointment with IOC President Kirsty Coventry over the decision to ban transgender women athletes from competing in women's events at the Olympics.

Semenya, who is South African, said she expected more from a woman leader like Coventry, who is from Zimbabwe and a fellow African.

“Personally, for her as a leader, she’s an African, I’m sure she understands how, you know, we as Africans, we are coming from, as a global South, you know, you cannot control genetics,” Semenya said at a press conference after a women’s race promoted to celebrate female strength, unity and community support in Cape Town. “For me personally, for her being a woman coming from Africa, knowing how, you know, African women or women in the global South are affected by that.”

Semenya spoke three days after the International Olympic Committee excluded transgender women athletes from competing in women's events at the Olympics or any IOC event. The decision published in a 10-page policy document Thursday also restricts female athletes such as Semenya with medical conditions known as differences in sex development, or DSD.

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Sunday, Mar. 29, 2026

FILE - South Africa athlete Caster Semenya, center, answers reporters with lawyers Gregory Nott, left, and Shona Jolly KC after Semenya won a partial victory at the European Court of Human Rights on in her seven-year legal fight against track and field's sex eligibility rules, Thursday, July 10, 2025 in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Antonin Utz, File)

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, banned from Olympics, speaks at United Nations

Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, banned from Olympics, speaks at United Nations

Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press 5 minute read Thursday, Mar. 26, 2026

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Vladyslav Heraskevych was shunned by the Olympics, then invited to the United Nations.

He never expected that would happen.

The Ukrainian skeleton athlete was not allowed to compete at the Milan Cortina Games because of his plan to wear a helmet paying tribute to some of those killed following Russia's invasion of his country. He spoke on a panel at the U.N. on Thursday detailing why he still believes he made the right decision.

“I think it’s important that we use this stage and talk about important things," Heraskevych said at the opening ceremony of Change the World Model United Nations, an educational simulation for thousands of students. “Sometimes it feels like, in all these hours of training, we really forgot about the overall mission of sports. It is not only about the medals, but it’s also about values that we represent.”

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Thursday, Mar. 26, 2026

FILE - Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych holds his crash helmet as he stands outside an improvised memorial to fallen soldiers killed in the war at Independence square in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits, File)

Transgender women athletes banned from female Olympic events by new IOC policy

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Transgender women athletes banned from female Olympic events by new IOC policy

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press 6 minute read Thursday, Mar. 26, 2026

GENEVA (AP) — Transgender women athletes are now excluded from women's events at the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy on Thursday which aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females,” the International Olympic Committee said, to be determined by a mandatory gene test once in an athlete's career.

It is unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at an Olympic level. No woman who transitioned from being born male competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Games, though weightlifter Laurel Hubbard did at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 without winning a medal.

The eligibility policy that will apply from the L.A. Olympics in July 2028 “protects fairness, safety and integrity in the female category,” the IOC said.

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Thursday, Mar. 26, 2026

FILE - IOC President Kirsty Coventry speaks during the Olympic opening ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Yves Herman/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Canada’s Winter Games results draw attention to sport commission report

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Canada’s Winter Games results draw attention to sport commission report

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026

How athletes competing on the world stage are funded was just one piece of an omnibus report on the state of Canadian sport, but a key one given the country's performance at the recent Winter Games.

Of the 98 calls to action in the Future of Sport in Canada Commission's final report issued Tuesday, increased core funding for national sport organizations was an urgent one.

"The sport system is facing a funding crisis, which contributes to the safe sport crisis," said Lise Maisonneuve, a former chief justice of the Ontario court of justice, who headed the commission.

"We need to increase the investment in sport to match our expectations of what the sport system ought to be. We therefore call on the Government of Canada to urgently increase core funding to national sport organizations and to regularly review and adjust funding levels.

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Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026

Canada's Amy Fraser competes during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Five things about the Future of Sport in Canada Commission

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Five things about the Future of Sport in Canada Commission

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 24, 2026

What is the Future of Sport in Canada Commission?

Announced in December, 2023 by former federal sports minister Carla Qualtrough, the commission was among various federal government remedies in response to a wave of maltreatment and abuse reports, both current and historical, that surfaced after the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Qualtrough was under pressure to hold a public inquiry, which she said would take too long.

What did the commission do?

The commission headed by Lise Maisonneuve, a former Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice, conducted cross-country consultations, gathered data from a public survey, held a two-part summit in Ottawa and issued an interim report and a final report.

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Tuesday, Mar. 24, 2026

Justice Lise Maisonneuve, who will lead the Future of Sport in Canada Commission, participates in a news conference with Minister of Sport and Physical Activity Carla Qualtrough, at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, on Thursday, May 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Canadian sport system ‘underfunded and unsafe,’ commission urges Ottawa to step up

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Canadian sport system ‘underfunded and unsafe,’ commission urges Ottawa to step up

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026

Canadian sport needs an overhaul, and it starts with the federal government.

That was the conclusion of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission's final report released Tuesday.

The Canadian sport system is broken, fragmented and unsustainable, said Lise Maisonneuve, a former chief justice of the Ontario court of justice, who headed the commission.

The report issued 98 calls to action for phased-in change over five years, but starting immediately.

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Wednesday, Mar. 25, 2026

LA28 unveils a bold, superbloom-inspired look for the Los Angeles Olympics

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

LA28 unveils a bold, superbloom-inspired look for the Los Angeles Olympics

The Associated Press 2 minute read Monday, Mar. 23, 2026

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has announced its official look, and it's a blast of bold colors.

The graphic patterns and color palettes will be used to identify everything from credentials to staff uniforms to signage to competition venues and the athletes village.

The concept announced Monday is based on a California superbloom, a phenomenon that occurs every 10-15 years in the spring and results in a vibrant explosion of wildflowers across hills, valleys and deserts.

The LA28 design team studied past Olympic and Paralympic Games, including the 1984 Los Angeles Games, to inspire the look.

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Monday, Mar. 23, 2026

FILE - The Olympic cauldron is lit at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ahead of the launch for ticket registration to the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, Jan. 13, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Federal government announces safe sport funding

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Federal government announces safe sport funding

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

OTTAWA - The federal government is giving $5 million to Sport Integrity Canada to continue administering the Canadian Safe Sport Program in 2026-27.

Sport Integrity Canada, formerly the Canadian Centre For Ethics in Sport, has taken over the handling of complaints and reports of abuse and maltreatment in sport from the defunct Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC).

SIC announced Thursday an expansion of the public registry of people sanctioned or provisionally sanctioned in the sport system.

Canada's Secretary of Sport Adam van Koeverden announced the funding Friday ahead of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission releasing its final report Tuesday.

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Friday, Mar. 20, 2026

Secretary of State of Sport Adam van Koeverden rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

Sport Integrity Canada expands public safe sport registry

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Sport Integrity Canada expands public safe sport registry

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

OTTAWA - Sport Integrity Canada has expanded its public registry of people sanctioned under the Canadian Safe Sport Program.

The agency, formerly the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, has taken over the management of complaints and reports of maltreatment in sport from the shuttered Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC).

The registry expansion has been realigned to include people under sanction whose cases were handled by OSIC before the handover, and also those whose cases were handled through a national sport organization's own safe sport process.

“A comprehensive and credible registry is fundamental to safe sport," said Sport Integrity Canada chief executive officer Jeremy Luke in a statement Thursday.

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Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

Secretary of State (Sport) Adam van Koeverden rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

WADA delays decision over potential ban of Trump from major sporting events until after World Cup

Eddie Pells, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

WADA delays decision over potential ban of Trump from major sporting events until after World Cup

Eddie Pells, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

The World Anti-Doping Agency on Tuesday put off a decision about barring government officials from major sporting events if their countries voluntarily withhold dues, pushing a potential conflict with President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials until at least after this summer's World Cup.

The WADA executive committee met and said it would consider the new rule in September, two months after the end of the World Cup, which the U.S. is hosting along with Canada and Mexico.

If such a rule is adopted later this year, it would presumably go into effect before the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The U.S. hasn't paid its dues since 2023. If that continues, the new rule could place Trump and U.S. lawmakers on a banned list for Games in their own country, though there are doubts about whether an anti-doping regulator could keep any of them from attending the Olympics.

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Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2026

FILE - President Donald Trump stands on stage next to the FIFA World Cup after receiving the FIFA Peace Prize during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

The Hockey Hall of Fame expects to keep the US Olympic gold medal-winning pucks

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

The Hockey Hall of Fame expects to keep the US Olympic gold medal-winning pucks

The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

TORONTO (AP) — The Hockey Hall of Fame says the pucks used to score the gold medal-winning men’s and women’s goals at the Milan Cortina Olympics are part of its permanent collection after being donated by the International Ice Hockey Federation.

The Hall released a statement about its artifacts from the Games on Wednesday, a day after Jack Hughes, who scored the golden goal in overtime for the U.S. men, told ESPN he wanted the puck so he could give it to his father, Jim.

“These artifacts are preserved, exhibited and shared with fans worldwide through our museum and international outreach programs, ensuring that defining Olympic and World Championship moments remain protected and accessible to the global hockey community,” the Hall said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. “We hold tremendous respect for the men and women who create these unforgettable moments on the ice, and we remain committed to preserving their achievements in a manner that is responsible, secure and accessible to fans everywhere.”

The U.S. swept men's, women's and Paralympic sled hockey gold, beating Canada in each final to win all three for the first time in the same year. Megan Keller scored the women's golden goal, also in OT, and that puck is similarly enshrined.

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Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026

United States' Jack Hughes celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Canada during the overtime period of the men's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Doug Armstrong steps down as general manager of Canada’s Olympic hockey team

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Doug Armstrong steps down as general manager of Canada’s Olympic hockey team

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

CALGARY - Doug Armstrong will not return as general manager of Canada's Olympic men's hockey team.

He spent two years as the management group lead for the national men's team at competitions like the world hockey championship, 4 Nations Face-Off and Milan Cortina Games.

Canada reached the Olympic final last month but dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to the United States.

Hockey Canada confirmed his departure in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

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Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

Doug Armstrong, general manager of Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team, gives remarks before naming the roster for the 2026 Winter Games at a news conference in Minneapolis on Dec. 31, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

LA 2028 Olympic soccer kicks off 4 days early, spreading matches across 7 US cities

The Associated Press 2 minute read Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Men's and women's soccer at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will begin four days before the opening ceremony and be played in seven cities around the United States.

The early start, approved by the IOC, allows teams two extra rest days during the tournament compared to previous Olympics. The schedule also includes additional rest days after the group stage and quarterfinals, giving teams time to travel.

The matches will start on July 10, with the group stage and quarterfinals being played in New York, Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and St. Louis.

The knockout rounds will move to California, taking place in San Jose, San Diego and Pasadena, with the gold medal matches at the historic Rose Bowl. The stadium hosted the 1994 men's World Cup final, the 1999 women's World Cup final and the 1984 Olympic gold-medal match.

WADA is weighing a rule to bar Trump and US officials from major events. Can it really do that?

Eddie Pells, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

WADA is weighing a rule to bar Trump and US officials from major events. Can it really do that?

Eddie Pells, The Associated Press 7 minute read Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

The idea sounds outlandish, if not downright impossible.

Leaders at the World Anti-Doping Agency are considering adopting a rule that could bar President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending major international events — even if they take place on American soil.

A few coming up are as big as they get: this summer’s World Cup; the LA Olympics in 2028; the Winter Games in Utah in 2034.

This is not a fight of Trump’s choosing, but rather one being pursued by WADA itself, which has been the subject of bipartisan and virtually universal disapproval in Congress, in the Trump and Biden administrations and in the offices of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for most of this decade.

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Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2026

FILE - FIFA President Gianni Infantino presents President Donald Trump with the FIFA Peace Prize during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, Pool, File_

New union head says 2027 MLB work stoppage could disrupt plans for big leaguers at 2028 Olympics

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

New union head says 2027 MLB work stoppage could disrupt plans for big leaguers at 2028 Olympics

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press 4 minute read Sunday, Mar. 15, 2026

MIAMI (AP) — A work stoppage that leads to canceled games during the 2027 Major League Baseball season could disrupt plans under discussion to have big league players participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Major League Baseball Players Association is negotiating with Major League Baseball, the IOC, the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the World Baseball Softball Confederation on the six-nation baseball event, scheduled for Dodger Stadium from July 15-20 during what could be an extended All-Star break.

MLB and the union also are preparing for the start of bargaining in April or May for a labor contract to replaced the current five-year agreement that expires Dec. 1. A management lockout is expected to start Dec. 2.

“It can be on a separate track, but I’m sure it will come up in the course of negotiations,” new acting union head Bruce Meyer said Sunday night at the World Baseball Classic. "If we’re in a situation where games are being missed in '27, that could have an impact on playing the Olympics after that."

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Sunday, Mar. 15, 2026

April 3, 2026

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