Japan
FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2020, file photo, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland listens during a briefing with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Los Angeles 2028 organizers in Beverly Hills, Calif. At their keynote addresses at this week's annual assembly of U.S. athletes and administrators, both CEO Sarah Hirshland and chair Susanne Lyons said the federation's top-line priority for the upcoming year is on athlete excellence and expanding revenue. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Tensions sparking change in US Olympic world, but how much?

By Eddie Pells Jun. 24, 2022 03:26 PM EDT

FILE - A person walks near Tokyo 2020 logo in Haneda Airport on June 14, 2021, in Tokyo. Tokyo Olympic officials, meeting Tuesday, June 21, 2022, before the body is dissolved at the end of the month, were to detail the final numbers that were driven up by the pandemic, but were in record range even before that. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Tokyo closes books on delayed Games; $13 billion price tag

By Stephen Wade Jun. 21, 2022 03:08 AM EDT

Katie Ledecky of United States celebrates after finishing first in the women's 400m freestyle final at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Saturday, June 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Ledecky reclaims 400 title at swimming worlds, eyeing more

By Ciarán Fahey Jun. 18, 2022 03:37 PM EDT

Naomi Kawase, who directed the official documentary of the Tokyo Olympics, speaks to The Associated Press in Tokyo Friday, June 17, 2022. Kawase said her work was a challenge because public opinion was painfully divided, costs kept mounting, a scandal emerged over the logo design, disgruntled opening ceremony artists resigned and the Games were postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)
Olympic filmmaker needed 2 movies to cover Tokyo turmoil

By Yuri Kageyama Jun. 17, 2022 09:50 AM EDT

Protesters hold a banner which reads "The IOC is a bunch of thieves. Spend on welfare, not the Games." in Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, June 12, 2022. Holding “No Olympics” banners, protesters demanded Japan drop its bid for the 2030 Winter Games Sunday. (AP Photo/Yuri Kageyama)
Small protests in Tokyo and Sapporo against Olympic bid

By Yuri Kageyama Jun. 12, 2022 08:38 AM EDT

FILE - A volunteer walks past the Olympic rings ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo on July 22, 2021. Japan's northern city of Sapporo on Monday, June 6, 2022, rejected holding a referendum to give voters a choice over bidding for the 2030 Winter Olympics. The city's assembly, controlled by Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, which is also in charge of the national government, turned down having a public vote. Its meeting was streamed online. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
Sapporo rejects holding referendum over bidding for Olympics

By Yuri Kageyama And Stephen Wade Jun. 06, 2022 03:09 AM EDT

Brazil's Neymar, second left, warms up with teammates during an official training session at the National Stadium in Tokyo Sunday, June 5, 2022. Brazil national soccer team will play a friendly soccer match against Japan on June 6. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Brazil vs Japan 6/6/2022

Jun. 05, 2022 06:52 AM EDT

Japan team members warm up during an official training session at the National Stadium in Tokyo Sunday, June 5, 2022. Japan national soccer team will play a friendly soccer match against Brazil on June 6. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Brazil faces Japan in friendly with lesser focus on Neymar

By Stephen Wade Jun. 05, 2022 06:50 AM EDT

Antti Pihlakoski, evaluation panel chairman of the World Athletics (WA), center left, and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, surrounded by other WA members, pose for a photo before their talk in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Council member Nawal El Moutawakel, back, from left, Vice President Ximena Restrepo and Director of Competitions & Events Jakob Larsen join the photo session. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Tokyo a candidate for track and field world championships

By Stephen Wade May. 25, 2022 12:44 AM EDT

FILE - Japanese film director Naomi Kawase speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 23, 2018. The documentary film produced by Kawase about the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics premiered on Monday, May 23, 2022, shown to reporters and other invited guests in the Japanese capital. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Tokyo Olympic film debuts in Japan; headed next to Cannes

By Stephen Wade And Yuri Kageyama May. 22, 2022 10:07 PM EDT

FILE - Connecticut Sun guard Yvonne Anderson, left, drives against New York Liberty forward Natasha Howard, right, in the second half during a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in New York. Yvonne Anderson understood that making a WNBA roster as an undrafted rookie was going to be tough and getting that chance a decade after she left college would be even tougher. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Perseverance paying off for older rookies in the WNBA

By Pat Eaton-Robb May. 20, 2022 12:08 PM EDT

In this photo provided by SailGP, Australia SailGP Team helmed by Tom Slingsby sails closely alongside France SailGP Team helmed by Quentin Delapierre during a practice session in Bermuda on May 12, 2022. The Champagne showers from Team Australia's Season 2 championship have barely dried and it's already time for SailGP to start another dash for $1 million in cash. The third season of tech tycoon Larry Ellison's global league starts this weekend on the turquoise water of Bermuda's Great Sound, where, to no one's surprise, Tom Slingsby's juggernaut Aussie crew remains the one to beat. (Thomas Lovelock/SailGP via AP)
Slingsby's Aussies aim for SailGP 3-peat, another $1M check

By Bernie Wilson May. 13, 2022 07:33 PM EDT

FILE - Japan's Michael Leitch is tackled by South Africa's Steven Kitshoff during the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match at Tokyo Stadium between Japan and South Africa in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 20, 2019. A little more than a year away from the next World Cup in France, Leitch is no longer the captain but still a key member of the brains trust that drives. He looks forward to the tournament where Japan is drawn in group D with England, Argentina, Samoa and one other qualifier. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)
Column: US lands 2031 Rugby World Cup, if anyone cares

By Paul Newberry May. 13, 2022 04:12 PM EDT

Ukraine team members climb on the Olympic Rings to pose for photo in the Olympic Village at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. Backers of Sapporo, Japan, to hold the 2030 Winter Olympics have gotten together to promote their bid. The Japanese city is competing with Salt Lake City, Vancouver, and a Spanish group that wants to return the Olympics to Barcelona. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
All-Japan committee meets to promote Sapporo Olympic bid

By Stephen Wade And Yuri Kageyama May. 10, 2022 02:41 AM EDT

FILE - China's Han Xu (15) shoots over Serbia's Tina Krajisnik during a women's basketball quarterfinal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Aug. 4, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. After missing the last two seasons while she stayed at home in China, dealing with the COVID lockdowns and training for the Olympics, Han is back in New York. The 22-year-old has grown an inch, standing at 6-foot-10 now and feels more ready to play in the WNBA. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
China's 6-10 Han among international WNBA players to watch

By Doug Feinberg May. 06, 2022 02:20 AM EDT

President Joe Biden speaks during a reception to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, May 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Bidens to host 2020, 2022 US Olympic Teams at White House

May. 02, 2022 06:39 PM EDT

FILE - The Olympic rings are seen during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics on Feb. 20, 2022, in Beijing. Will it be 2030, the first opening on the IOC calendar? Or might the International Olympic Committee make a double award and also name the 2034 host, which it did 4 1/2 years ago when it had two strong candidates and named Paris for the 2024 Olympics and Los Angeles for 2028. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
Salt Lake, Sapporo head race to 2030 Olympics, and maybe '34

By Stephen Wade May. 02, 2022 01:08 AM EDT

American Armstrong sets swimming world record in 50 back

Apr. 29, 2022 09:33 AM EDT
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — American Hunter Armstrong has set a swimming world record in the men's 50-meter backstroke. Armstrong posted a time of 23.71...

FILE - Oregon State's Jade Carey competes on the floor during an NCAA gymnastics meet against UCLA and UC Davis on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022, in Corvallis, Ore. Carey is among the leading contenders for the NCAA women’s all-around title, which will be decided on Thursday, April 14, in Fort Worth, Texas.(AP Photo/Amanda Loman, File)
Olympic gymnasts face outsized expectations at NCAAs

By Will Graves Apr. 13, 2022 07:48 PM EDT

FILE - The Olympic rings during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022, in Beijing. Officials in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo say there is public support for holding the 2030 Winter Olympics. However, Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto says the city has no plans to hold a binding public referendum for the final word. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
Tokyo Olympics expected to reveal final costs in June

By Stephen Wade Mar. 24, 2022 08:53 AM EDT