International relations
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a Politburo meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
IOC suspends NKorea from Beijing Olympics for Tokyo no-show

By Graham Dunbar Sep. 08, 2021 01:49 PM EDT

FILE - In this file photo dated Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, First Vice President of the International Swimming Federation, FINA, Husain Al Musallam, during the FINA World Aquatics Gala in Budapest, Hungary. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show two senior Olympic officials from Kuwait have been targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice for suspected racketeering and bribery related to FIFA and international soccer politics. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah is reputed to be the “kingmaker” of IOC elections. Husain al-Musallam is president of swimming’s international governing body. The documents include details of the DOJ investigation and a formal request to Kuwaiti authorities in 2017 for help to secure evidence. (Attila Kovacs/MTI via AP, File)
Documents show US investigation of 2 Kuwaitis in FIFA case

By Graham Dunbar Sep. 02, 2021 11:43 AM EDT

Adam Bobrow, lead commentator for the International Table Tennis Federation, poses for a photograph during the table tennis men's team semifinal between Germany and Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Tokyo. Bobrow, the Voice of Table Tennis, possesses an arsenal of tricky spin shots, captured on YouTube and watched by millions, that can leave even good opponents gape-mouthed and then, as the wildness of what they’ve seen sinks in, delighted. What he really likes, though, is to travel the world as a sort of ambassador for the sport. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
'Snakeman' looks to spread joys of table tennis beyond Games

By Foster Klug Aug. 06, 2021 02:51 AM EDT

Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, center, prepares to leave Narita International Airport in Narita, east of Tokyo Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. Tsimanouskaya, who plans to seek refuge in Europe, boarded a plane that left the gate for Vienna on Wednesday morning, though it was not immediately clear if that would be her final destination. (Kyodo News via AP)
Belarus Olympic runner who feared going home lands in Poland

By Vladimir Isachenkov And David Keyton Aug. 04, 2021 04:54 AM EDT

FILE In this file photo taken from video, Belarus Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya speaks during a zoom interview with the Associated Press in Japan, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021. A feud between Tsimanouskaya and team officials that prompted her to seek refuge in Poland has again cast a spotlight on the repressive environment in the ex-Soviet nation, where authorities have unleashed a relentless crackdown on dissent. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin, File)
EXPLAINER: What happens when Olympics and politics collide?

By Graham Dunbar Aug. 04, 2021 04:11 AM EDT

In this image made from video provided by NTV, Belarus Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya enters the Polish embassy in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. Tsimanouskaya plans to seek asylum in Poland, an activist group said Monday, after the athlete alleged that her team’s officials tried to force her to fly home, where she feared she wouldn’t be safe from an autocratic government that recently was accused of diverting a plane in order to arrest a dissident journalist. (NTV via AP)
Poland grants visa to Belarus Olympian who fears for safety

By Graham Dunbar Aug. 02, 2021 05:08 AM EDT

Activists: Belarusian sprinter seeking visa at Polish embassy in Tokyo after alleging officials tried to force her home

Aug. 02, 2021 05:02 AM EDT
TOKYO (AP) — Activists: Belarusian sprinter seeking visa at Polish embassy in Tokyo after alleging officials tried to force her home. ...

FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2021, file photo, activists wearing masks of the IOC President Thomas Bach and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose in front of the Olympic Rings during a street protest against the holding of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, in Dharmsala, India. The IOC has declined several recent requests to move the Olympics out of Beijing. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)
Beijing Games: Sports coverage fine, other things maybe not

By Stephen Wade Aug. 02, 2021 02:24 AM EDT

Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, of Belarus, runs in the women's 100-meter run at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021. Tsimanouskaya alleged her Olympic team tried to remove her from Japan in a dispute that led to a standoff Sunday, Aug. 1, at Tokyo’s main airport. An activist group supporting Tsimanouskaya said she believed her life was in danger in Belarus and would seek asylum with the Austrian embassy in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Japan: Belarus runner involved in airport standoff is safe

By Graham Dunbar And Daniel Kozin Aug. 01, 2021 12:00 PM EDT

Anton Borodachev of the Russian Olympic Committee, left, and Erwann Le Pechoux of France compete in the men's Foil team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Chiba, Japan. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Olympics Latest: Belarus runner says team forcing departure

Jul. 31, 2021 09:18 PM EDT

Simone Manuel of the United States, left, reacts with teammate Katie McLaughlin, right, at the pool during a swimming training session at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 22, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Ban on 'Soul Cap' spotlights lack of diversity in swimming

By Jenna Fryer Jul. 31, 2021 06:30 AM EDT

Hidilyn Diaz of Philippines competes in the women's 55kg weightlifting event, at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 26, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Euphoric Philippines, rewards greet Olympic gold winner home

Jul. 28, 2021 09:41 AM EDT

United States players stand during their national anthem prior to men's basketball preliminary round game between United States and Iran at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Basketball diplomacy: US, Iran meet on court at Tokyo Games

By Tim Reynolds Jul. 28, 2021 06:20 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2018, file photo, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and North Korea's nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam, wait for the start of the preliminary round of the women's hockey game between Switzerland and the combined Koreas at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un, made the first-ever visit to the South by a member of the ruling Kim dynasty since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)
Even in absence, North Korea's presence felt at Tokyo Games

By Foster Klug Jul. 28, 2021 04:27 AM EDT

Funa Tonaki of Japan, left, and Distria Krasniqi of Kosovo compete during their women's -48kg championship judo match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 24, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Olympics Latest: US men get off to fast start in volleyball

Jul. 23, 2021 08:11 PM EDT

Naomi Osaka carries the Olympic Torch during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Hannah McKay/Pool Photo via AP)
The Latest: Osaka lights cauldron at Tokyo opening ceremony

Jul. 22, 2021 09:51 PM EDT

First lady of the U.S. Jill Biden poses for a photo with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife Mariko in Tokyo, Thursday, July 22, 2021. Biden embarked on her first solo international trip as first lady, leading a U.S. delegation to the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where the coronavirus is surging and COVID-19 infections have climbed to a six-month high. (Kyodo News via AP)
Jill Biden in Tokyo for Olympic Games, meets prime minister

By Mark Thiessen And Darlene Superville Jul. 21, 2021 08:44 AM EDT

Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton goes up for a dunk against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of Game 6 of basketball's NBA Finals, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in Milwaukee. (Justin Casterline/Pool Photo via AP)
LaVine cleared, USA Basketball awaits 3 NBA Finals players

By Tim Reynolds Jul. 21, 2021 07:07 AM EDT

A commuter walks down stairs leading to a subway station before the start of the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 21, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Team USA chiropractor sorry for COVID protocol-Nazi post

By Jake Seiner Jul. 21, 2021 05:55 AM EDT

A protester stands to oppose South Korean President Moon Jae-in's possible visit to Japan in front of a building which houses Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, July 19, 2021. Moon has decided not to visit Japan for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, citing a failure to set up a summit with Japan's prime minister that would produce meaningful results in improving relations. The signs on a banner at left read "Expel Hirohisa Soma, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, from South Korea." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
With no summit, South Korean president to skip Olympics

By Kim Tong-Hyung Jul. 19, 2021 05:41 AM EDT