Martial arts
FILE - Kimia Yousofi, front left, and Farzad Mansouri, of Afghanistan, carry their country's flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Afghanistan's flag bearer at the Tokyo 2020 Games and other prominent women's sports campaigners have been safely relocated to Australia following a year-long Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) project. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Afghan Olympians resettle in Australia to start afresh

Aug. 17, 2022 01:11 AM EDT

Russia eyes 2024 Paris Olympics despite sports bans

Jul. 26, 2022 07:18 AM EDT
PARIS (AP) — With two years to go until the Paris Olympics open, Russia is making plans for its athletes to live and compete in the French capital even though many...

Members of the Romanian aerobic gymnastics team compete during The World Games in Birmingham, Ala., on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
Column: Welcome to the Island of Misfit Sports

By Paul Newberry Jul. 15, 2022 01:30 PM EDT

Ukraine boycotts judo Olympic qualifier as Russians compete

Jun. 24, 2022 12:16 PM EDT
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Ukraine has begun a boycott of international judo events because the Russian team was allowed to compete as Olympic qualification began...

FILE - Kayla Harrison is shown during a Professional Fighters League bout against Larissa Pacheco at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., Thursday, May 9, 2019. Harrison is headed back to the PFL. Harrison is a two-time $1 million prize champion in the Professional Fighters League lightweight championship. She signed a multi-year deal with the company she’s called home since 2018. (AP Photo/Greg Payan, File)
She's Back: PFL signs undefeated Harrison to new deal

By Dan Gelston Mar. 08, 2022 08:15 AM EST

FILE - A general view of the St. Petersburg Stadium prior to the Confederations Cup soccer match between New Zealand and Portugal, in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 24, 2017. The British government led calls Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022 for the Champions League final to be taken off Russia by European football's governing body to punish its deepening intervention in Ukraine. The showpiece men's game is due to be played in St. Petersburg on May 28 for the biggest sporting event in Russia since the 2018 World Cup.(AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, file)
Euro backlash as FIFA refuses to expel Russia from football

By Rob Harris Feb. 27, 2022 05:53 AM EST

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. Putin and leaders before him have tried to cultivate an image of a prosperous country fortified by strong athletes who beat their international opponents in the games people play. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
World judo body suspends Putin as its honorary president

Feb. 27, 2022 05:16 AM EST

AP Sportlight

By The Associated Press Feb. 22, 2022 10:00 AM EST
Feb. 23 1935 — George “The Iceman” Woolf makes history, riding Azucar to victory in the inaugural Santa Anita Handicap. Azucar beatS such greats as...

AP-Sportlight-Week Ahead

By The Associated Press Feb. 17, 2022 11:13 AM EST
Feb. 22 1919 — The first dog race track to use an imitation rabbit opens in Emeryville, Calif. 1936 — Figure skater Sonja Henie wins her...

Rudy Rinaldi, of Monaco, looks down after the 2-man heat 4 at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Monaco gets its best Olympic sport finish, 6th in bobsled

By Tim Reynolds Feb. 15, 2022 10:14 AM EST

FILE - President of Brazil's Olympic Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman, left, and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, right, visit Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Jan. 22, 2014. Nuzman, the head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee for more than two decades, was sentenced to 30 years and 11 months in jail for allegedly buying votes for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics. The ruling by Judge Marcelo Bretas became public Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)
Boxing among 3 Olympic sports in danger of losing 2028 spot

By Graham Dunbar Dec. 09, 2021 01:13 PM EST

FILE - Saeid Mollaei of Mongolia celebrates with his silver medal during the award ceremony for the men -81kg judo match at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, on July 27, 2021. The Iran judo federation’s appeal against a four-year ban from international events for refusing to let its athletes face opponents from Israel has been heard, and a verdict should take at least several weeks. The IJF acted against Iran after former world champion Saeid Mollaei left the team in 2019. He claimed he was ordered to lose matches at the 2019 world championships to avoid facing Israelis. Mollaei won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics competing for Mongolia. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Iran appeals ban from judo for avoiding Israeli opponents

Nov. 23, 2021 11:29 AM EST

FILE - Kayla Harrison is shown during a PFL (Professional Fighters League) bout against Larissa Pacheco at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., in this Thursday, May 9, 2019, file photo. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison tries for another $1 million prize when she fights Taylor Guardado in the main event of the 2021 PFL Championships this week in Florida. (AP Photo/Greg Payan, File)
Harrison, now a mother of 2, fights for $1M PFL championship

By Dan Gelston Oct. 25, 2021 10:36 AM EDT

French President Emmanuel Macron, center, and former NBA player Tony Parker, center right behind, talk with members of a basketball team at a basketball playground in Tremblay-en-France, outside Paris, Thursday, Oct.14, 2021. French President Emmanuel Macron will promote sports ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool)
France to boost sport practice ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics

Oct. 14, 2021 09:02 AM EDT

Algerian judoka banned 10 years for refusing Olympic bout

By Greg Beacham Sep. 13, 2021 04:04 PM EDT
Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine has been banned from competition for 10 years by the International Judo Federation after his withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics...

Zakia Khudadadi of Afghanistan stands after fighting against Viktoriia Marchuk Ukraine in the Women's 49kg Taekwondo Repecharge at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Makuhari, Japan, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. (Joe Toth for OIS via AP)
Afghan athlete Zakia Khudadadi gets her chance in taekwondo

By Stephen Wade Sep. 02, 2021 05:43 AM EDT

2 Afghan athletes arrive in Tokyo to compete in Paralympics

By Stephen Wade Aug. 28, 2021 11:07 AM EDT
TOKYO (AP) — Two athletes from Afghanistan have arrived in Tokyo to compete in the Paralympics, the International Paralympic Committee said Saturday. ...

FILE - In this July 28, 2021, file photo, Daiki Hashimoto, of Japan, poses with his gold medal for the artistic gymnastics men's all-around final at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Despite the pandemic, the one-year delay and the soaring costs, the Japanese public may still find a sweet spot for these Olympics, the way it did for the storied 1964 Games. Why? A historic haul of medals. Japan had its best Olympics in every category: the most gold medals (27), the most overall (58), and a third-place finish in both categories behind two much larger countries - the United States and China. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
Japan has its best Olympic medal haul: 27 gold, 58 overall

By Stephen Wade Aug. 08, 2021 06:22 AM EDT

Tareg Hamedi of Saudi Arabia, right, reacts as medical personnel attend to Sajad Ganjzadeh of Iran after he was injured in their men's kumite +75kg gold medal bout for karate at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Olympic karate finishes with cinematic kick, downer ending

By Greg Beacham Aug. 07, 2021 11:05 AM EDT

France's Nikola Karabatic makes a shot during the men's gold medal handball match between France and Denmark at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Olympic Latest: France earns gold for 1st volleyball medal

Aug. 06, 2021 07:41 PM EDT