Moscow
FILE - Evgeny Rylov of the Russian Olympic Committee poses with his gold medal for the men's 100-meter backstroke final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. A statement from swimming's world governing body, FINA, on Thursday, April 21, 2022, announced that Rylov has been banned from the sport for nine months for appearing at a rally in support of President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
Russian swimmer Rylov banned for appearing at Putin rally

Apr. 22, 2022 03:39 PM EDT

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to deliver his speech at the concert marking the eighth anniversary of the referendum on the state status of Crimea and Sevastopol and its reunification with Russia, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 18, 2022. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian Olympians face backlash after Vladimir Putin rally

Mar. 23, 2022 07:26 AM EDT

Russian race walker Lashmanova banned for doping, loses gold

Mar. 21, 2022 10:35 AM EDT
LONDON (AP) — Russian race walker Yelena Lashmanova has been banned for two years for doping and will be stripped of her Olympic gold medal, the Athletics Integrity...

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in the launch of a new ferry via a conference call at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 4, 2022. (Andrei Gorshkov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Column: Russian sports ban unlikely to stop Putin's war

By Paul Newberry Mar. 04, 2022 05:03 PM EST

FILE - International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, left, talks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Second European Games in Minsk, Belarus, June 30, 2019. In a sweeping move to isolate and condemn Russia after invading Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee urged sports bodies on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, to exclude the country's athletes and officials from international events. (Sergey Bobylev, TASS/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
Russia facing sports isolation over invasion of Ukraine

By Graham Dunbar Feb. 28, 2022 06:57 AM EST

FILE - Spectators look at the Olympic Cauldron as the sun sets at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. The invasion of Ukraine could further undermine Russia's status as an elite sports dynasty, which already has been weakened by deception and doping scandals but often punished only by a tepid pushback from international sports bodies. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
Ukraine invasion puts Russia's elite sports status at risk

By Eddie Pells Feb. 27, 2022 01:03 AM EST

A soldier's helmet with a bullet hole near debris of burning military trucks, in a street in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Russian troops stormed toward Ukraine's capital Saturday, and street fighting broke out as city officials urged residents to take shelter. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Poland, Sweden refuse to play Russia in World Cup playoffs

Feb. 26, 2022 11:43 AM EST

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach waves during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
IOC urges sports bodies to cancel events in Russia, Belarus

By Graham Dunbar Feb. 25, 2022 09:58 AM EST

FILE - Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky practices ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea on Feb. 7, 2018. Krushelnitsky failed a drug test and lost a bronze medal and was banned four years. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
Recent Russian doping controversies at the Olympics

Feb. 18, 2022 09:07 AM EST

Eteri Tutberidze coach of Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, watches her train at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Russian coach produces teen skating stars with short careers

By James Ellingworth Feb. 12, 2022 03:12 AM EST

In this frame from video, Vladyslav Heraskevych, of Ukraine, holds a sign that reads "No War in Ukraine" after finishing a run at the men's skeleton competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (NBC via AP)
Olympian flashes 'No War in Ukraine' sign after competing

By Tim Reynolds Feb. 11, 2022 08:28 AM EST

Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, competes in the women's team free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
EXPLAINER: The drug behind Russia's Olympic doping case

By Graham Dunbar And Dasha Litvinova Feb. 09, 2022 10:13 PM EST

Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Putin backs China over 'politicization' of Beijing Olympics

Jan. 25, 2022 07:07 AM EST

Russia's Vyacheslav Voynov, centre, bottom, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the Channel One Cup ice hockey match between Russia and Finland in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Without the NHL, Russia emerges as favorite for Olympic gold

By James Ellingworth Dec. 23, 2021 01:03 AM EST

A model displays the Olympic uniforms for Russian athletes in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. Russia presents its Olympic kit for the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, which shouldn't depict any symbols of the country. Russian athletes will compete at the Tokyo Olympics as neutral after the Court of Arbitration for Sport last December banned Russia from using its name, flag and anthem at any world championships because of state-backed doping. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Russia unveils Beijing Olympics kit with national colors

Dec. 10, 2021 03:19 PM EST

FILE - The China Ice Sports College hockey team practices on the ice during the Experience Beijing Ice Hockey Domestic Test Activity, a test event for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, Nov. 10, 2021. China's men's team is ranked 32nd in the world and is in a group with the United States and Canada, two of the medal favorites among the 12 teams going to the Winter Games in February. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Officials worry China’s men’s hockey team not Olympics ready

By Stephen Whyno Nov. 12, 2021 04:52 AM EST

Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin, left, is checked by Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Riley Stillman during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, in Denver. The Avalanche won 4-2. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Valeri Nichushkin facing doping case from 2013, Russia says

Nov. 08, 2021 11:37 AM EST

WADA revokes Moscow anti-doping laboratory's license

Oct. 09, 2021 02:01 PM EDT
MOSCOW (AP) — The World Anti-Doping Agency has revoked the Moscow laboratory's license to test samples in a new twist in the long-running Russian doping saga,...

FILE - In this July 31, 1980 file photo, Yuriy Sedykh of the Soviet Union prepares to throw the hammer to win the gold medal and set new world and Olympic records at the Moscow Olympics. Two-time Olympic champion in the hammer throw and world record holder Yuriy Sedykh has died. He was 66. The Russian track and field federation says Sedykh died early Tuesday Sept. 14, 2021, following a heart attack. (AP Photo/File)
Yuriy Sedykh, hammer world record holder, dies at 66

Sep. 14, 2021 09:26 AM EDT

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013 file photo, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge shows the name of the city of Tokyo elected to host the 2020 Summer Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The International Olympic Committee on Sunday, Aug, 29, 2021 says Jacques Rogge who led the organization as president for 12 years, has died. He was 79. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool photo via AP, file)
Jacques Rogge, IOC president for 12 years, dies at 79

By Chris Lehourites Aug. 29, 2021 12:29 PM EDT