Social affairs
Drew Pavlou, left, and Max Mok show some of the 1,000 shirts they plan to hand out to patrons ahead of Saturday's women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. As he was being ejected for wearing a shirt with a Where is Peng Shuai? slogan, Max Mok saw an opportunity to amplify the message at the Australian Open. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Where is Peng Shuai? Australian Open T-shirts grab attention

By John Pye 3 hrs ago

A man wearing a hat baring an American flag and face mask to help protect from the coronavirus walks by a masked security guard near lanterns decoration on the remnants of a city wall in Beijing, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. China is demanding the U.S. end “interference” in the Beijing Winter Olympics, which begin next month, in an apparent reference to a diplomatic boycott imposed by Washington and its allies. The Foreign Ministry said Minister Wang Yi made the demand in a phone call with U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday Beijing time. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
China demands US halt Olympics 'interference'

Jan. 27, 2022 01:50 AM EST

FILE - A woman holds up a ligt candle and a phone showing the image of the 1989 tank man protester during a candle vigil to mark the anniversary of the military crackdown on a pro-democracy student movement in Beijing, outside Victoria Park in Hong Kong, Friday, June 4, 2021. As Beijing prepares to hold the Winter Olympics opening in February 2022, China's president and party leader Xi Jinping appears firmly in control. The party has made political stability paramount and says that has been the foundation for the economic growth that has bettered lives and put the nation on a path to becoming a regional if not global power. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
From Tiananmen to Hong Kong, China's crackdowns defy critics

By Ken Moritsugu Jan. 27, 2022 12:20 AM EST

FILE - Jamie Anderson stands at the bottom of the big air course after winning her second gold medal during the Winter X Games on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021, in Aspen, Colo. Even in a sport filled with nonconformists, Anderson stands out. The 31-year-old from South Lake Tahoe, California, is one of the most thoughtful people in her business. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times via AP, File)
Tough trip to China ahead, Anderson sees gift of world stage

By Eddie Pells Jan. 26, 2022 02:40 AM EST

FILE - Chinese authorities test fireworks ahead of the Aug 8 start of the Olympic Games on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, Saturday, Aug 2, 2008. Richer, more heavily armed and openly confrontational, China has undergone history-making change since the last time it was an Olympic host in 2008. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
China 2008 vs 2022: Richer, stronger, more confrontational

By Joe Mcdonald Jan. 25, 2022 11:08 PM EST

FILE - Fireworks explode over Beijing's Tiananmen Square to help mark the closing of the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing on Aug. 24, 2008. The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics open in just over a week. When Beijing held the Summer Olympics in 2008 the International Olympic Committee predicted they could improve human rights, and Chinese politicians hinted at the same. There are no soaring promises this time. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)
China less worried about global criticism these Olympics

By Stephen Wade Jan. 25, 2022 12:29 AM EST

Annika Malacinski, left, and Alexa Brabec take part in a roller ski training session for the 2022 U.S. Olympic team for Nordic combined and ski jumping teams at Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, N.Y., Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Even before the U.S. teams were set for Beijing Games, 20-year-old Annika Malacinski knew she had no shot at competing in China because she is a woman. Nordic combined, which combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing, is the only Olympic sport without gender equity. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
It's men only in Nordic combined at the Olympics for now

By Larry Lage Jan. 23, 2022 10:51 AM EST

FILE - Adam Rippon of the United States reacts following his performance in the men's free figure skating final in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. Rippon, who came out publicly in October 2015, was the first openly gay athlete to represent the United States in Olympic competition. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Adam Rippon looks back at his role in 2018 Olympics

By Barry Wilner Jan. 22, 2022 03:12 AM EST

From left, Team Shuster's John Landsteiner, Matt Hamilton, coach Sean Beighton, Chris Plys and John Shuster pose with their gold medals after winning their match against Team Dropkin during the third night of finals at the U.S. Olympic Curling Team Trials at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021. Team Shuster won the match and will represent Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Keeping curling cool goal for sport's chief in US after gold

By Eric Olson Jan. 21, 2022 02:10 PM EST

A student poses for a photo with the Olympic flame and torch during an event to display the Olympic torch and flame at the Beijing University of Posts and Communications in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. China is limiting the torch relay for the Winter Olympic Games to just three days amid coronavirus worries, organizers said Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. The flame will be displayed only in enclosed venues that are deemed "safe and controllable," according to officials speaking at a news conference. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
China mandates 3-day Olympic torch relay amid virus concerns

Jan. 21, 2022 03:11 AM EST

Pennsylvania's Lia Thomas is shown during the playing of the national anthem before a swim meet, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, in Philadelphia. The NCAA has adopted a sport-by-sport approach for transgender athletes, bringing the organization in line with the U.S. and International Olympic Committees. NCAA rules on transgender athletes returned to the forefront when Penn swimmer Lia Thomas started smashing records this year.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Penn pledges to work with NCAA, support transgender swimmer

Jan. 20, 2022 08:54 PM EST

France moves closer to banning veils in sports competitions

By Samuel Petrequin Jan. 19, 2022 05:31 AM EST
The French Senate has voted in favor of banning the wearing of headscarves in sports competitions, arguing that neutrality is a requirement on the field of play. ...

A man gets a throat swab for the COVID-19 test at a mobile coronavirus testing facility a residential area in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. With just over two weeks before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, residents of the Chinese capital say they’re disappointed at not being able to attend events because of coronavirus restrictions that have seen parts of the city placed under lockdown. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Beijing residents disappointed Olympics will be closed event

Jan. 19, 2022 04:12 AM EST

Student activists wear masks with the colors of the pro-independence East Turkistan flag during a rally to protest the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, outside the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. Dozens of students staged the rally demanding the cancellation of the Beijing Olympics over alleged human rights violations against Muslim Uyghur ethnic minority in China's region of Xinjiang. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Olympic athletes urged by activists not to criticize China

By Graham Dunbar Jan. 18, 2022 11:56 AM EST

FILE - Fireworks explode over the National Stadium during the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing on Aug. 8, 2008. Ai is one of China's most famous artists, and many regard him as one of the world's greatest living artists. Working with the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, he helped design the Bird's Nest stadium, the centerpiece of Beijing's 2008 Summer Olympics. The stadium will also host the opening ceremony for Beijing's Winter Olympics on Feb. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)
The AP Interview: Exiled artist Ai Weiwei on Beijing Games

By Stephen Wade Jan. 18, 2022 12:01 AM EST

Natalie Geisenberger of Germany speeds down the track during her first run of the Luge World Cup women race in Sigulda, Latvia, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Roman Koksarov)
German luge star Geisenberger says she's going to Olympics

By Tim Reynolds Jan. 17, 2022 01:44 PM EST

FILE - North Dakota defenseman Jake Sanderson plays against Penn State during an NCAA college hockey game on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. USA Hockey and Hockey Canada are eyeing several college players to play at the Olympics after the NHL decided not to participate in Beijing. North Dakota’s Jake Sanderson has already agreed to play for the U.S. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
Sanderson to play for US; college stars eye Olympic chance

By Stephen Whyno Jan. 11, 2022 12:33 PM EST

Germany to drop investigation into Olympic horse cruelty

Jan. 11, 2022 09:33 AM EST
POTSDAM, Germany (AP) — German prosecutors will drop an animal cruelty investigation into an athlete and a coach who were shown striking a horse during the Olympic...

Hairdressers wearing protected suits cut residents' hair at a residential block which has become under lockdown in Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi province on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022. A major Chinese city near Beijing has placed its 14 million residents on partial lockdown after a number of children and adults tested positive for COVID-19, including at least two with the omicron variant. Elsewhere, millions of people are being confined to their homes in Xi'an and Yuzhou, two cities that are farther away but have larger outbreaks traced to the delta variant. (Chinatopix Via AP)
China locks down 3rd city, raising affected to 20 million

By Ken Moritsugu Jan. 11, 2022 02:09 AM EST

FILE - Staff members rehearse a victory ceremony at the Beijing Medals Plaza of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China on Jan. 3, 2022. The Beijing Winter Olympics are fraught with potential hazards for major sponsors, who are trying to remain quiet about China's human rights record while protecting at least $1 billion they've paid to the IOC. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
IOC major sponsors mostly muted in runup to Beijing Olympics

By Stephen Wade Jan. 11, 2022 12:11 AM EST