Russia government
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) sprays water on his face during a timeout against the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series Monday, May 23, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Russians star in NHL playoffs as nation wages war in Ukraine

By Stephen Whyno May. 30, 2022 02:23 AM EDT

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, center, speaks with young athletes at the Olympics Unleashed session at the Yeronga Park Sports Centre in Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, May 7, 2022. Bach was in Brisbane on Saturday for the first time since the Queensland state capital was awarded the 2032 Olympics. (Jason O'Brien/AAP Image via AP)
Bach says Russia ban is to protect athletes, not punish them

By Graham Dunbar May. 20, 2022 09:08 AM EDT

Putin backs Russian skater Valieva as she faces doping case

Apr. 26, 2022 12:20 PM EDT
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed support for figure skater Kamila Valieva on Tuesday, saying she did not compete “dishonestly” after her doping case...

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

Dmytro Pidruchnyi of Ukraine shoots during zeroing in the men's 4x7.5-kilometer relay at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Ukrainian athletes join military after Russian invasion

By James Ellingworth Mar. 02, 2022 06:47 AM EST

A journalist from Ukraine holds a photo of Yevhen Malyshev, a 19-year-old former athlete on Ukraine's junior biathlon team who, according to the International Biathlon Union, died serving the Ukranian military, as he speaks during a press conference at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Russians and Belarusians at the Winter Paralympics in Beijing will compete as "neutral athletes" because of their countries' roles in the war against Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Heart-wrenching reaction to Russian athletes in Paralympics

By Stephen Wade Mar. 02, 2022 06:34 AM 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 - 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, File)
Ukraine athletes defend country, demand sanctions for Russia

By Eddie Pells Feb. 27, 2022 01:13 PM 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

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

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and International Olympic Committee's President Thomas Bach applaud during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (Anthony Wallace/Pool Photo via AP)
After skating debacle, Bach takes rare shots at Russians

By Graham Dunbar Feb. 18, 2022 08:05 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)
Ukraine Olympic team calls for peace, IOC wants no protests

Feb. 13, 2022 05:20 AM EST

FILE- A man walks by the Russian Olympic Committee building in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Nov. 9, 2015. Russian athletes are competing under the acronym ROC, for Russian Olympic Committee, for the third time. The national colors and flag are banned by the International Olympic Committee because of a massive state-sponsored doping operation during the 2014 Sochi Games, which Russia hosted. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, File)
At Olympics and beyond, getting away with it is Russia's way

By Brian Carovillano And Ted Anthony Feb. 11, 2022 03:05 AM EST

The Chinese and Olympic flags fly during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
In Beijing, Olympic ideals coexist with authoritarian rule

By Tim Sullivan Feb. 04, 2022 11:17 PM EST

Chinese President Xi Jinping, bottom second from right, waves as he arrives for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
In opening of Winter Olympics, chances at politicking abound

By Adam Schreck Feb. 04, 2022 07:08 AM EST

Dancers perform during the pre-show ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The Latest: Dutch VJ manhandled during Olympic live shot

Feb. 03, 2022 09:51 PM EST

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with members of Russia's national team ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, via a videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
With tensions high, Russia aims for Olympic gold in Beijing

By James Ellingworth Jan. 28, 2022 07:30 AM EST