SportsTravel Podcast

At the end of every year, our editorial staff at SportsTravel likes to take a look back at the year past and a look ahead to the year to come. And this year, we’re joined by our newest addition, Paul Stevens, who became senior editor of SportsTravel in November after a career in the business-to- business media space. He’s also a true sports fan, which makes him the perfect person to discuss the year ahead. [article_sidebar]And what a year 2026 is shaping up to be with the World Cup headed to North America, the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games headed to Milan-Cortino, Italy, and so many more events on the schedule both here in the United States and abroad. In this episode, we break down the trends we’re watching across professional, collegiate and youth sports, and make some bold predictions about the outcome of sporting events in the year to come.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like the millions of people living with disabilities, Paralympians have a multitude of ways they acquired those disabilities. Some like Ezra Frech were born with disabilities and many others like Lindi Marcusen acquired those disabilities later in life, in her case in a car accident just two weeks after her wedding. Nonetheless, the Paralympic Games have provided an amazing outlet for Ezra, Lindi and others to show everything they are capable of at the highest level of sport. In Ezra’s case, that resulted in two gold medals in Paris in the 100 meters and the high jump in his classification, and in Lindi’s case, it has allowed her to become the fastest woman on the U.S. team. But just because they have had success on the field doesn’t mean their travel experiences are easy. In fact, each of them has faced challenges as they seek to transport both themselves and their equipment to locations around the world, including to the world’s most prestigious sports events. It’s one of many reasons they are both now spokespeople for a new campaign organized by Ottobock, the global medtech company, called “The Invisible Class,” which is aiming to put a spotlight on the organizations that are actually succeeding when it comes to providing a better experience. And with December 3 being International Day of Persons with Disabilities, this conversation will take a look at what some of those travel challenges can be. But we’ll also take a look ahead at the opportunity that the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles will present to engage more people in the types of conversations that turn some of those travel challenges around.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carlos Ezpeleta joined Dorna Sports as an intern in 2007, took on a full-time role in 2013 and has since worked his way to Chief Sporting Officer at MotoGP, directly responsible for the Sporting and Technical areas of the Championships as well as overseeing activities in the Promoters, Operations and Talent Promotion departments. Dan Rossomondo’s career began in advertising sales at Madison Square Garden and has since taken him to IMG, Time Warner Global Media and the NBA. From his role as Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships and Media at the NBA, Dan moved to become Chief Commercial Officer of Moto GP and Dorna Sports in 2023. We discussed the recent announcement of Guenther Steiner taking ownership of a Moto GP team, the series since Liberty Motor Group took a new majority role, the intersection of travel and sports and how they look to elevate spectator experiences, working in a "traveling circus" that other more stationary sports don't go through and the future outlook for the series, especially in the United States. We hope you enjoy the conversation. This episode of the Sports Travel Podcast is being sponsored by TEAMS Europe, the world’s leading conference and expo for the sports-event industry. TEAMS Europe unites sport event organizers with destinations, venues and suppliers interested in hosting or supporting their events. TEAMS Europe in 2026 will be March 17–19, 2026 at The Belfry, an award-winning hotel and resort located less than 10 miles from the city center of Birmingham, England. For more details on everything planned at TEAMS Europe, please visit teamseurope.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Raffaella Paniè is an Italian designer and creative director, serving as Director of Brand, Identity, and Look for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Milano Cortina. She leads the design of the Games’ visual identity, including the emblem, pictograms, mascots and medals. Her work emphasizes a modern Italian spirit, sustainability, and community, showcasing Italy’s creativity on the global Olympic stage. She joined the Podcast to discuss how the design process was developed for the Games, how many version of the Olympic torch and medals were designed before settling on what was revealed to be the final design, where the design inspiration came from and if any design can ever be truly finished before being released to the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rob Stull was elected president of the International Modern Pentathlon Union in November 2024, a four-year tenure that includes the 2028 Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles. Stull was an alternate to the 1984 U.S. Olympic modern pentathlon team, competed in both fencing and modern pentathlon at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, then competed in modern pentathlon at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Starting at the LA28 Games, modern pentathlon will replace equestrian riding with obstacle racing after a long process that took several years. Modern pentathlon is a five-sport event that, for 2028, will include fencing, freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, laser pistol shooting and cross-country running. We discussed the lead-up to LA28, Stull’s work at the international federation since being elected president and much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.