Olympian

Irish Olympic swimmer Shane Ryan has joined the Enhanced Games, a multi-sport competition that will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing substances without being subject to drug tests.

Ryan, who was born in the USA, competed in three successive Olympics Games for Ireland before announcing his retirement from the sport earlier this month.

“After a decade dedicated to traditional competition on the world’s highest stage, I’m excited to dive into this next chapter with the Enhanced Games,” the 31-year-old said on his decision.

Ryan joins Team GB Olympic swimmer Ben Proud, four-time Greece Olympian Kristian Gkolomeev and US sprinter Fred Kerley in announcing his intentions to compete at the Games.

The move has been criticised by Sport Ireland, which says it is “deeply disappointed” with the decision.

The first Enhanced Games are due to take place in Las Vegas in 2026 with each event awarded a total prize purse of $500,000 and a $1m on offer for competitors who break world records.

Swim Ireland has also condemned the move, confirming his disassociation with the organisation and that he will no longer be provided with any funding or services.

Ryan competed at the Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games, becoming the first Irish swimmer to participate at three Olympics.

The Olympic Federation of Ireland said that Ryan’s move to the Enhanced Games “stands in direct opposition to our core clean sport values”.

The American sprinter, who became Olympic Champion four times and the World Champion eight times, won’t be a pundit for the championships

Olympic star Michael Johnson won’t be on the BBC’s coverage of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next month. The American sprinter, who became Olympic Champion four times and the World Champion eight times, won’t be a pundit in their Tokyo studio during the championships running from September 13 to September 21.

He has featured on the BBC as a regular pundit over the last few decades, and the corporation confirmed he won’t be part of the punditry team for next month. His absence comes amid ongoing financial difficulties regarding his newly launched Grand Slam Track league, which still owes money to athletes in prize money and appearance fees.

A representative for the sprinter said: “He has other commitments, unfortunately, but is looking forward to working with the BBC in the future.”

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Last week, Michael said Grand Slam Track is struggling with financial difficulties and blamed the significant loss of funding for the failure to pay athletes.

The league’s inaugural event in Jamaica in April didn’t pull in the expected audience numbers, resulting in less income from broadcast deals and sponsorship agreements.

According to the Express, Grand Slam Track had initially promised athletes around £74,000 ($100,000) for winning their respective events across each of the four planned competitions.

In addition to this, athletes were assured extra payments for appearing, while Johnson touted a total prize pool of over £8.7million ($12m).

In April, he told the BBC: “Our athletes deserve to be paid more and we’re doing that.” But in a recent statement over the unpaid fees, he explained: “We promised that athletes would be fairly and quickly compensated, yet here we are struggling with our ability to compensate them.”

Olympian Gabby Thomas was among the athletes who discussed their frustration as they waited for payments. World Athletics president Lord Coe has recognised that the governing body is closely monitoring the situation.

Michael held an emergency meeting to reveal the cancellation of the final Grand Slam Track event in Los Angeles.

He called it “one of the most difficult challenges” and said there won’t be a 2026 series until the debts are settled.

Meanwhile, in a powerful open letter to the Prime Minister, Olympic champions, global medallists and rising stars recently called on the government to back the bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships at the London Stadium with £45million of funding.

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German Olympic biathlete Laura Dahlmeier was struck by falling rocks while scaling Laila Peak in Pakistan on Wednesday.

Authorities have abandoned efforts to recover the body of German Olympic biathlete Laura Dahlmeier, who died in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan this week.

Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday, having been hit by falling rocks while climbing at an altitude of 5,700 metres (18,700 feet) on Laila Peak in the Karakoram range.

Attempts to recover her body were abandoned due to “dangerous” conditions at the site, Dahlmeier’s management agency said Thursday.

In consultation with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the agency said her relatives would “continue to monitor the situation … and are keeping the option of arranging a rescue at a later date”.

Several of Dahlmeier’s colleagues confirmed the two-time Olympic gold medallist had said she did not want her body recovered if it put any would-be rescuers at risk.

German mountaineer Thomas Huber was part of a team that had attempted a rescue, but told reporters on Thursday, “We have decided she should stay, because that was her wish.”

Another member of the rescue team, American Jackson Marvell, told AFP it would be “disrespectful” to recover her body contrary to her wishes.

Marvell said, “The recovery of Laura’s body will be possible, but it involves incredible risks, both on foot and by helicopter.”

Dahlmeier’s climbing partner Marina Krauss, who was with her at the time of the incident, said at a press conference on Thursday that the former Olympian did not move after being caught in a rockfall.

“I saw Laura being hit by a huge rock and then being thrown against the wall. And from that moment on, she didn’t move again,” Krauss told reporters.

Krauss said she was unable to reach Dahlmeier and called for outside support.

“It was impossible for me to get there safely,” she said.

“It was clear to me the only way to help her was to call a helicopter. She didn’t move, she didn’t show any signs [of movement]. I called out to her, but there was no response.

“She only had a chance if help arrived immediately.”

Dahlmeier won seven world championship gold medals, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, she became the first woman biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Games.

Dahlmeier retired from professional competition in 2019 at the age of 25.