3rd - 4th June
Games of the Small States of Europe
Malta is a small island group located in the Mediterranean Sea between Italy's Sicily and the north African coast. Steeped in history, the capital city Valletta is also a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. This year the nation was chosen to host the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE Malta 2023). With nine nations attending, it was also represented with nine different sports. These are athletics, basketball, judo, rugby 7's, sailing, shooting, squash, swimming, and table tennis. With a fervent home support driving the athletes on, it was Malta who ended on top of the standings after the closing ceremony on Saturday. Their medal haul of 97 included 38 gold. Cyprus was second with a total of 87, followed by Luxembourg on 66. GSSE is a biennial event organised and managed by the National Olympic Committees of the ten European Small States.
Chamoux-sur-Gelon in south-eastern France represented the 18th FAI Paragliding World Championships. After nine events, home heroes Meryl Delferriere and Maxime Pinot won the women's and men's gold, with the nation's title also going to the hosts. Turkey's coastal city Bodrum was the location for the Dragon World Championship 2023. The Dragon is a one-design keelboat designed by Norwegian Johan Anker in 1929. Switzerland's Wolf Waschkuhn, Joao Vidinha, and Charles Nankin crewed their boat 1Quick1 to overall victory.
Round 4 of the FIM EnduroGP World Championship took us to Skövde in Sweden. Britain's Steve Holcombe and Jane Daniels were the men's and women's winners. Slovakia's Martin Vaculik claimed victory in Prague in Round 3 of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix. The Pro Motocross Championship spent the weekend in Rancho Cordova in California for Round 2 of the season. Australian siblings Jett Lawrence and Hunter Lawrence repeated their dominance in Round 1 with further victories in the 450 and 250 Class. Over the previous five rounds, Spain's Alvaro Bautista has dominated the FIM Superbike World Championship winning all three races on each occasion except for the Superpole Race in Indonesia. Bautista leads the overall standings on 298 points. The Netherland's Jeffrey Herlings triumphed at the MXGP of Latvia, the next round of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
The UCI BMX Racing World Cup began the new season with two rounds over the weekend in Sakarya, Turkey. Round 1 was claimed by Bethany Shriever (GBR) and Romain Mahieu (FRA). Shriever won again in Round 2, with the men's gold going to Joris Daudet (FRA). The Finale Outdoor Region in Italy was the location for the UCI MTB World Cup. Morgane Charre (FRA) and Fabien Barel (FRA) won Enduro. Barel also claimed Enduro Electric, while compatriot Laura Charles won the women's race. Lastly, Adelheid Morath (GER) and Diego Alfonso Arias Cuervo (COL) triumphed in the Cross-Country Marathon. Leuven in Belgium hosted the UCI MTB Eliminator World Cup. The Cross-Country Eliminator champions are Gaia Tormena (ITA) and Titouan Perrin Garnier (FRA). France's Arnaud Demare won the Brussels Cycling Classic, a UCI ProSeries road race.
Jakarta was the scene for Rounds 10 and 11 of the FIA Formula E World Championship. Germany's Pascal Wehrlein stamped his authority on race 10, while Sunday's victory was claimed by compatriot Maximilian Guenther. Wehrlein regained the lead on the driver standings. Belgium's Thierry Neuville moved to second on the table of the FIA World Rally Championship after winning the Rally Italia Sardegna. Sweden's Johan Kristoffersson and defending champion of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, mastered the conditions in Portugal to take the highest step on the podium for the 36th time in his career. Another defending champion, the Netherland's Max Verstappen, took the chequered flag in the Spanish Grand Prix, Round 8 of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
Argentine Tango was the discipline in Leini, Italy, at the International Dance Organization European Couple Dance Championship. The full results can be viewed here:
https://www.ido-dance.com/ceis/ido/results/calendar/2023_1390.html
Italy's Manuel Guidotti and Silvia Mariotti won the Senior I World DanceSport Federation World Championship in Standard held in Bremen, Germany. Spain's Ruben Viciana Lopez and Eva Moya won the Senior II title. Romania's Constantin Popovici and Australia's Rhiannan Iffland claimed victory in the first round of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Boston. Italy's Elena Micheli and Egypt's Mohanad Shaban have secured the first two direct qualification quota places for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after winning individual gold at the UIPM 2023 Pentathlon World Cup Final. USA have topped the rankings at the FIE Fencing World Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia. The competition was for Senior Women and Foil was the weapon type. Madrid was the location for the 2023 European Triathlon Championships, with Jeanne Lehair (LUX) and David Castro Fajardo (ESP) as the Elite Champions.
In basketball news, USA's Women and Serbia's Men are the champions of the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2023. Augsburg was the location for the 2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup. The full results can be viewed here:
https://www.canoeicf.com/canoe-slalom-world-cup/augsburg-2023/results
The Badminton World Federation World Tour completed the Thailand Open over the weekend. Se Young An (KOR) and Kunlavut Vitidsarn (THA) won the Women's and Men's Singles. Korea's So Young Kim and Hee Yong Kong won the Women's Doubles, while the Men's Doubles title was claimed by China's Wei Keng Liang and Chang Wang. Korea also won the Mixed Doubles through Won Ho Kim and Na Eun Jeong.
Artistic Gymnastics was the discipline in Tel Aviv at the FIG Senior World Cup. Georgia Godwin (AUS) and Krisztofer Meszaros (HUN) won the Women's and Men's Floor and the Vault. Eyal Indig (ISR) won the Pommel Horse, with victory in the Uneven Bars going to Barbora Mokosova (SVK). Gold in the Still Rings was claimed by Vinzenz Hoeck (AUT), while Marine Boyer (FRA) won the Balance Beam. In the final two men's results, Ahmet Onder (TUR) won the Parallel Bars and Nestor Abad (ESP) won the Horizontal Bar. Over to the World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup 2023 Super Final Meet 1 held in Ovieda, Spain, medals in eleven categories were contested.
The World Padel Tour spent the week in Mabella, Spain. In a repeat of the results in Vienna, Paula Josemaría Martín and Ari Sánchez won the women's final, while the men's champions are also again Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia. Denis Chevrot (FRA) was the top professional champion of the Ironman European Championship in Hamburg. Lukas Bosmans (BEL) and Marit Bergmann (GER) were the Top Age Group Men and Women winners.
Until next time, have a great week in sport.