General news
FILE - Fourteen athletes of the fourteen teams compete in the men's Olympic 4x10 kilometers cross country relay in Sapporo, Feb. 12, 1972, at the start of the race. The northern Japanese city of Sapporo is set to announce on Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, what it says will be a reduction in costs that will make it an attractive venue for the 2030 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo, File)
Sapporo says it can hold 2030 Olympics and also save money

By Stephen Wade And Yuri Kageyama 8 hrs ago

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai reacts during her women's singles match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on Oct. 5, 2016. When Peng disappeared from public view this month after accusing a senior Chinese politician of sexual assault, it caused an international uproar. But back in China, Peng is just one of several people, activists and accusers alike, who have been hustled out of view, charged with crimes or trolled and silenced online for speaking out about the harassment, violence and discrimination women face every day. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
WTA remains "concerned' about Peng's ability to speak freely

By Stephen Wade Nov. 27, 2021 10:37 PM 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)
Former Brazil Olympic boss sentenced to jail for corruption

By Mauricio Savarese Nov. 25, 2021 10:03 PM EST

Athletes speed down the track during the men's two-man bobsleigh World Cup race in Igls, near Innsbruck, Austria, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Skeleton slider Daly tests positive, may affect Olympic plan

By Tim Reynolds Nov. 23, 2021 04:28 PM EST

FILE - China's Peng Shuai waves after losing to Canada Eugenie Bouchard in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 15, 2019. Out of public view for almost three weeks, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai appeared Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 in a live video call with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
IOC call with Chinese tennis star Peng raises more questions

By Stephen Wade Nov. 22, 2021 03:39 AM EST

FILE - China's Peng Shuai reacts during her first round singles match against Japan's Nao Hibino at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 21, 2020. The editor of a Communist Party newspaper posted a video online that he said showed missing tennis star Peng Shuai watching a match Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 as the ruling party tried to quell fears abroad while suppressing information in China about Peng after she accused a senior leader of sexual assault. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill, File)
IOC says Peng Shuai has told Olympic officials she is safe

Nov. 21, 2021 12:27 PM EST

A coach teaches children how to serve the tennis ball near the Diamond Court, background, in Beijing, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021. According to photos released by the organizer, missing tennis star Peng Shuai reappeared in public Sunday at a youth tournament in the court compound in Beijing, as the ruling Communist Party tried to quell fears abroad while suppressing information in China about Peng after she accused a senior leader of sexual assault. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Olympic officials: Chinese tennis star Peng says she is safe

By Joe Mcdonald Nov. 20, 2021 10:38 PM EST

Peng Shuai of China wipes her face during the women's singles match against Samantha Stosur of Australia on the second day at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, on July 3, 2018. China's Foreign Ministry is sticking to its line that it isn't aware of the controversy surrounding tennis professional Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a former top official of sexually assaulting her. A ministry spokesperson said Friday that the matter was not a diplomatic question and that he was not aware of the situation. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland, File)
Photos of missing Chinese tennis star posted online

Nov. 20, 2021 08:06 PM EST

FILE - China's Peng Shuai serves to Japan's Nao Hibino during their first round singles match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 21, 2020. China's Foreign Ministry is sticking to its line that it isn't aware of the controversy surrounding tennis professional Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a former top official of sexually assaulting her. A ministry spokesperson said Friday that the matter was not a diplomatic question and that he was not aware of the situation. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill, File)
Tennis players take on Communist Party: Where is Peng Shuai?

By Stephen Wade Nov. 20, 2021 02:14 AM EST

FILE - Peng Shuai of China celebrates after winning the women's singles match against Venus Williams of the United States in the China Open tennis tournament at the National Tennis Stadium in Beijing, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016. The disappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai in China following her accusation of sexual assault against a former top Communist Party official has shined a spotlight on similar cases involving political dissidents, entertainers, business leaders and others who have run afoul of the authorities. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
Tennis trailblazer: Peng known for her grit on the court

By Andrew Dampf Nov. 19, 2021 07:46 AM EST

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian responds during the daily media presser in Beijing, China, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. China's Foreign Ministry on Friday stuck to its line that it wasn't aware of the controversy surrounding tennis professional Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a former top official of sexually assaulting her. (AP Photo/Liu Zheng)
China says 'not aware' of tennis player Peng Shuai issue

Nov. 19, 2021 05:54 AM EST

President Joe Biden shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as they meet in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Biden: US may not send top dignitaries to Beijing Olympics

Nov. 18, 2021 02:36 PM EST

IOC hails progress at meeting with Afghan sports officials

Nov. 18, 2021 01:02 PM EST
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Sports leaders appointed by the Taliban have promised Olympic officials that Afghanistan will continue to allow its athletes and...

FILE - Then Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli is seen during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Wednesday, March 16, 2016. Chinese authorities have squelched virtually all online discussion of sexual assault accusations apparently made by a Chinese professional tennis star against the former top government official, showing how sensitive the ruling Communist Party is to such charges. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
Doubts over China tennis star's email raise safety concerns

By Huizhong Wu Nov. 18, 2021 07:29 AM EST

Garbiñe Muguruza, of Spain, holds the trophy during an awarding ceremony after defeating Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, at the final match of the WTA Finals tennis tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Refugio Ruiz)
Muguruza wins WTA Finals for first time, beating Kontaveit

By Carlos Rodriguez Nov. 18, 2021 06:02 AM EST

FILE - Naomi Osaka, of Japan, reacts during her match against Maria Sakkari, of Greece, in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open tennis tournament in Miami Gardens, Fla., on March 31, 2021. Osaka says she's been shocked to hear about a fellow player who has gone quiet since making a sexual assault allegation against a former top government official in China. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
WTA Miami, USA Women Singles

Nov. 17, 2021 03:08 AM EST

FILE - China's Shuai Peng plays a shot against Romania's Sorana Cirstea during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France. Tuesday, May 30, 2017. Chinese authorities have squelched virtually all online discussion of sexual assault accusations apparently made by the Chinese professional tennis star against a former top government official, showing how sensitive the ruling Communist Party is to such charges. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
State media release attributed to Peng raises WTA concerns

Nov. 17, 2021 02:34 AM EST

FILE - Visitors wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walk by a statue featuring Winter Olympics figure skating on display at the Shougang Park in Beijing, Sunday, May 2, 2021. Making an Olympic team is hard enough. This winter, those who earn their spots on the U.S. squad will find it takes even more work to get to Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
Travel trouble: US Olympians face uncertain road to Beijing

By Eddie Pells Nov. 12, 2021 02:03 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

A maintenance worker wearing a face mask walks through an empty section of spectator stands near a logo for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics during the Speed Skating China Open, a test event for the 2022 Winter Olympics, at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. Beijing Olympic officials say two foreign athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 in ongoing test events for February's Winter Games, Officials also expressed sympathy for a Polish luge competitor who fractured his leg at the Olympics sliding center this week in a crash that has been blamed on human error. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
2 athletes COVID-19 positive in Beijing Games warmup events

Nov. 12, 2021 02:40 AM EST