insidethegames

Dakar 2026’s Youth Olympic Games opening ceremony will celebrate African identity, talent and inclusion, with artistic direction led by Senegalese creatives. Ceremony director Kdady Niang said the organising committee chose an African-led production to reflect the continent’s cultural realities and give Africans the opportunity to tell their own story on the global stage. The ceremony, scheduled for Saturday at Abdoulaye-Wade Stadium, will mark a historic milestone as the first Olympic ceremony held on African soil. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🇿🇦 Durban has been selected as South Africa’s preferred candidate to host the 2036 or 2040 Summer Olympic Games, ahead of Johannesburg and Cape Town. The decision by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) followed an independent assessment of proposals and potential venues across the three cities. Plans envisage Durban hosting 60–70% of competitions, the Olympic Village and both opening and closing ceremonies, with Johannesburg and Cape Town staging other events. Organisers aim to use facilities nationwide while keeping the Games compact for athletes and spectators. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🇧🇷 Brazil’s Ministry of Sport and Olympic Committee have been invited to a Supreme Federal Court public hearing on gambling restrictions, scheduled for 3 November in Brasília. Justice Luiz Fux added the two institutions in a ruling dated 27 October, bringing the number of participating organisations to 28. The hearing will examine the implications of Provisional Measure 1,394, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 25 September, which prohibits the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of betting platforms. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🏃 World Athletics has established a new Popular Races Department to oversee the growth of mass-participation running events worldwide, including road races, marathons, cross-country, mountain running and trail running. The new unit will be led by Jakob Larsen, an executive with extensive experience in event development and expansion. World Athletics estimates that more than one billion people run in some form globally, reflecting the sport’s growing reach beyond elite competition and the increasing popularity of organised races. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…

Former Paralympic swimmer Shanntol Ince of Trinidad and Tobago has joined a 20-member international judging panel for the UN SDG Action Awards, recognising initiatives advancing sustainable development. A competitor at London 2012 and Rio 2016, Ince also won two bronze medals at the Parapan American Games in the S9 classification. Five months after completing the International Paralympic Committee’s Para Athlete Professionals programme, she is taking her experience beyond elite sport into a new leadership role. The awards ceremony takes place in Rome on Thursday. 📷: IPC insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🇫🇷 Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux has been unanimously appointed president of the French Alps 2030 Organising Committee, succeeding Edgar Grospiron, who stepped down in September. The French businessman’s appointment was confirmed at an extraordinary general assembly in Décines-Charpieu, completing the succession process under the committee’s statutes. Roux de Bézieux will take up his duties on 2 November, ending interim president Vincent Roberti’s tenure as preparations continue for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🥋 The World Karate Federation (WKF) is introducing AI and advanced camera systems to support kumite refereeing, helping officials assess fast-moving attacks and potential scoring techniques. Using multiple camera angles, the technology analyses footage in real time and provides visual evidence to the refereeing panel, helping officials evaluate actions that unfold in fractions of a second. The WKF says referees will retain full authority over final decisions, with AI serving as a support tool rather than a replacement for human judgement. 📷: WKF insidethegames.biz/articles/…

LA28 has unveiled “Stars Align” as the official slogan for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, alongside the global premiere of a 60-second promotional film celebrating sport and the city. The Olympic Games will open on 14 July 2028, followed by the Paralympic Games on 15 August. Los Angeles will host its third Olympics and its first Paralympic Games. The slogan also recognises the wider community behind the events, including coaches, volunteers, organisers, partners, small businesses, athletes and fans. 📷: LA28 insidethegames.biz/articles/…

Dakar 2026 faces questions over its finances just days before the Youth Olympic Games begin, with the host country's reported $60 million commitment still awaiting confirmation. Senegalese officials have outlined a financial obligation of around 35.97 billion CFA francs (€54 million) under the host contract. However, BBC Sport reported that neither the local organising committee nor the IOC had confirmed the Games' overall cost. As Africa prepares to host its first Olympic-branded event, uncertainty over the budget raises concerns about financial transparency and the organisation of a landmark competition. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…

Shotgun shooting will make its debut at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in 2027, joining air rifle and air pistol at the event in Lignano-Porpetto, Italy. The European Shooting Confederation (ESC) is expanding its youth programme following a 2026 overhaul that introduced under-16, under-18 and under-23 categories, head-to-head formats and technical partnerships to support national federations. The changes aim to broaden opportunities for young athletes and strengthen the sport’s development across Europe. 📷: ESC insidethegames.biz/articles/…

Asbestos concerns are raising fresh questions over Brisbane 2032’s planned Olympic stadium at Victoria Park. Community group Save Victoria Park has called on the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) to disclose what type of asbestos was found, how long the material was disturbed, whether air monitoring took place and how contaminated material will be managed. A formal complaint was submitted on 15 September, with campaigners seeking greater transparency over safety measures and potential public exposure as work progresses on the planned 63,000-seat venue. 📷: Save Victoria Park/FACEBOOK insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🇧🇬 Bulgaria’s wrestling federation has elected new leadership following a period of institutional turmoil, athlete protests and controversy under former president Stanka Zlateva. The crisis escalated in early 2025 when Zlateva introduced a policy requiring Bulgarian to be spoken in national team environments, creating tensions involving naturalised athletes and foreign coaches. The dismissal of Greco-Roman coach Soslan Farniev prompted a backlash from leading wrestlers, including an open letter opposing the decision. Court-ordered elections followed amid growing pressure for change. 📷: BULGARIAN WRESTLING FEDERATION insidethegames.biz/articles/…

Keith Joseph has called for structural reform across Caribbean sports governing bodies, arguing that existing operating models must evolve to meet future challenges. Re-elected as president of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) at its 24th General Assembly in Curaçao on 18 October, Joseph will lead the organisation for the 2026–2030 cycle. CANOC represents 31 National Olympic Committees, focusing on regional cooperation and development of the Olympic Movement. Joseph has raised concerns about whether current governance structures are equipped to respond to global changes. 📷: CANOC SPORTS/X insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🇦🇺 At 92, Australian Olympic medallist Marlene Mathews has her sights set on Brisbane 2032, hoping to attend an Olympic Games on home soil for a third time. Mathews won two bronze medals in the 100m and 200m at Melbourne 1956 and later marched in the opening ceremony at Sydney 2000. She was among the former Olympians honoured at an Australian Olympic Committee dinner marking 70 years since Melbourne hosted the Games. Now approaching 100 by Brisbane 2032, Mathews told AAP she hopes to be there to welcome the world once again. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…

Rwanda is sharing its Para sport expertise across Africa, hosting 30 athletes, coaches and officials from six countries for a training camp in Kigali from 11–18 October. Supported by the International Paralympic Committee’s Sport for Mobility programme, the initiative combined track sessions, classification training and support for national programme development. Delegations from Burundi, DR Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda also attended the 2026/2027 Rwanda Para Athletics National Championships, as Rwanda’s National Paralympic Committee approaches its 25th anniversary on 1 November. 📷: INSTAGRAM/ NPC.RWANDA insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🏋️ The International Weightlifting Federation’s decision to award the 2030 Senior World Championships to Moscow has drawn strong criticism from Polish and Ukrainian sporting authorities. Ukraine’s Ministry of Sports has pledged to formally challenge the allocation, while Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on the IWF, the IOC and the wider sporting community to intervene and seek the decision’s cancellation. Norway has also condemned the move. The controversy follows the IWF’s June decision to reinstate athletes from Russia and Belarus, intensifying debate over the sport’s international governance. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…

Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux has emerged as the leading candidate to head the French Alps 2030 Winter Olympics Organising Committee, with an appointment expected to be considered on Thursday. The former Medef president, who led France’s employers’ association from 2018 to 2023 and served on the Paris 2024 board, would bring extensive business and institutional experience following months of turmoil and the departure of former chair Edgar Grospiron. Roux de Bézieux has chaired the organising committee’s Remuneration Committee since April. His appointment has yet to be formally confirmed. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🇸🇳 Dakar 2026 is set to make history on Saturday as the first Olympic event hosted in Africa, welcoming around 2,700 athletes aged 17 and under for the Youth Olympic Games. The fourth edition will feature 25 sports over two weeks, with competitions across eight venues in Dakar, Diamniadio and the coastal town of Saly. IOC President Kirsty Coventry received a warm welcome from volunteers, praising their energy and contribution to making the Games special. 📷: IOC Media insidethegames.biz/articles/…

🇦🇺 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the possibility of staging selected Brisbane 2032 Olympic events outside Queensland to reduce costs and make use of existing venues. Albanese backed options including rowing in Penrith, New South Wales, and tennis in Melbourne, Victoria, while insisting Brisbane would remain the Games’ centrepiece. He cited Paris 2024, when surfing was held in Tahiti. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli opposes moving key events interstate, arguing that local communities should benefit from Olympic investment. 📷: Getty Images insidethegames.biz/articles/…