● Pan American Games

Panam Sports has officially announced Asunción (Paraguay) and Rio de Janeiro-Niterói (Brazil) as the candidate cities to host the 2031 Pan American Games.

Paraguay has been actively striving to host major international sporting events. Last year, they narrowly lost the vote to Lima (Peru) by 24-28 in the selection process for the re-awarded 2027 Pan American Games. In contrast, Rio de Janeiro successfully hosted the 2007 Pan American Games and also the 2016 Summer Olympics. This time, they are jointly bidding with the neighboring city of Niterói, aiming to host their third major multi-sport event in 24 years.

Asunción is scheduled to host the second Junior Pan American Games in August of this year, with 4,000 athletes competing in 333 events.

Panam Sports has not yet formed an evaluation committee or announced a specific schedule for the host city selection process, but related procedures are expected to proceed soon.

● Curling

Italy and Australia topped their respective round-robin pools at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Fredericton, Canada, to advance to the playoffs starting on Friday.

In Group A, Italy's Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner dominated with a perfect 9-0 record and an overwhelming 73-35 score difference. Scotland (7-2) and Canada (7-2) followed, also securing playoff berths.

In Group B, Australia's Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt finished first with an 8-1 record, followed by Estonia (6-3) and the United States' Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin (6-3). The U.S. needed to defeat Spain 10-2 in their final pool game to advance, ultimately clinching a playoff spot.

In the playoffs, Canada will face Estonia for the chance to meet Italy in the semifinals, while the U.S. will compete against Scotland, with the winner advancing to play Australia in the semifinals. Thiesse and Dropkin are the defending champions from the 2023 event.

● Fencing

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has released the minutes of its Executive Committee meeting held on April 30, which included details regarding a change in the presidency.

According to the minutes, "The management of the FIE between Congresses is delegated to the Executive Committee, and to ensure the smooth running of the FIE, the Executive Committee has appointed Mr. Abdel Moneim El Husseiny (Egypt) as Interim President."

Mr. El Husseiny accepted the position and will assume all functions of the FIE President in accordance with the FIE Statutes and other regulations.

This decision by the Executive Committee will be submitted for ratification at the next FIE Congress.

El Husseiny (58), a banker by profession, competed in foil fencing for Egypt at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics and later served as a referee. He joined the FIE Marketing Commission in 2004, was elected as an Executive Committee member in 2021, and re-elected in 2024. The focus now shifts to how much discretion the elected but silent FIE President, Alisher Usmanov of Russia, will grant him. The FIE Congress is scheduled for November.

● Figure Skating

American ice dance stars Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani have announced their return to competitive skating.

Maia, 30, and Alex, 34, will be coached by Russian Marina Zoueva and Italian Massimo Scali, aiming for the upcoming Olympic season.

The Shibutani siblings last competed officially in 2018 but have two Olympic bronze medals from 2014 and 2018, as well as a bronze (2011), silver (2016), and bronze (2017) from the World Championships. They also boast an impressive record of eight consecutive senior medals at the U.S. Championships (gold in 2016 and 2017, four silvers, and two bronzes).

Since their hiatus, they have remained active in ice shows and galas. Upon their return, they will face competition from world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, but they are expected to be strong contenders for the second U.S. team spot for the Milan-Cortina Olympics, competing against Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, and Emily Bratti and Michael Somerville.

● Football

FIFA, in collaboration with the poverty-fighting organization Global Citizen, has announced a new fundraising program to establish the "FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund." The fund aims to raise $100 million over four years and will be used to provide children with access to education and football.

As a first step, FIFA will donate $1 from each ticket sale of the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States from June 14 for a month with 63 matches. Global Citizen, founded in Australia in 2008 and now headquartered in New York, stated in the announcement:

"The new fund, announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans, will provide tailored support to organizations committed to improving children's education around the world."

● Swimming

World-class performances continued on the second day of the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Thursday saw two world-leading times set.

Women's 100m Freestyle: 52.90, Gretchen Walsh (USA) Women's 400m Freestyle: 3:56.81, Katie Ledecky (USA) Walsh, who won seven gold medals at the World Aquatics Short Course World Championships last year, powered to a world-leading 52.90 in the women's 100m freestyle, narrowly holding off a late charge from five-time Olympic medalist Torri Huske (52.95), whose time is now second in the world.

Ledecky, the second-fastest woman ever in the 1500m freestyle, won the women's 400m freestyle in a thrilling battle against Canada's Summer McIntosh, clocking 3:56.81 to McIntosh's 3:58.28. These times are now first and second in the world for 2025. In an unusual turn, McIntosh led for most of the race, but Ledecky surged ahead in the final 50m with an impressive 29.50 split compared to McIntosh's 31.15.

Ledecky's time is the seventh-fastest ever, while McIntosh's is the 14th-fastest. Ledecky now owns three of the top nine performances in the history of the women's 400m freestyle. American Claire Weinstein finished third in a personal best of 4:01.26, the third-fastest time in the world for 2025 and the 12th-fastest all-time.

Olympic relay gold medalist Emma Weber won the women's 100m breaststroke in 1:06.63, narrowly defeating star swimmer Lilly King (1:06.67), while Olympic 200m breaststroke champion Kate Douglass finished third in 1:06.76.

Canadian Olympic backstroke medalist Kylie Masse was fastest in the preliminaries of the women's 50m backstroke with a world-leading time of 27.13 for 2025 but finished third in the final in 27.53. Instead, American Katharine Berkoff, who was second-fastest in the prelims with 27.34 (fourth in the world for 2025), won the final in 27.38. American Regan Smith, the Olympic silver medalist in the 200m backstroke in Paris, finished second in the final in 27.43, placing her fifth in the world for 2025.

Smith went on to win the women's 200m butterfly in 2:05.38, the second-fastest time in the world for 2025, comfortably ahead of American Olympian Alex Shackell (2:06.13).

In the men's 100m freestyle, Shaine Casas led from start to finish to win in 48.47, with Olympic relay gold medalist Chris Giuliano close behind in 48.49. Casas also won the men's 50m backstroke in 24.41, close to his world-leading time of 24.23 set in March. Hungary's Olympic 200m backstroke champion Hubert Kos finished third in 24.81.

Tokyo Olympic 400m freestyle bronze medalist Kieran Smith won that event in 3:47.01, followed by Florida-based swimmer Ryan Erisman (3:48.57). France's three-time Olympic champion Léon Marchand, competing in the 400m freestyle (not his primary event), finished third in 3:48.97, with Tokyo Olympic 800m and 1500m freestyle champion Bobby Finke of the United States fourth in 3:49.01.

Kyrgyzstan's three-time Olympian Denis Petrashov won the men's 100m breaststroke in 59.23, the fifth-fastest time in the world for 2025. Lithuania's Aleksas Savickas was a close second in 59.72 (14th in the world for 2025). University of Tennessee swimmer Martin Espernberger of Austria, the 2024 World Championships bronze medalist in the 200m butterfly, won that event in 1:55.71 (10th in the world for 2025), with American two-time Olympian Carson Foster second in 1:55.84.