Municipal governments
Residents wearing face masks to help protect from the coronavirus line up to get a throat swab at a COVID-19 test site outside a residential housing block in Fengtai District in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. The Chinese capital reported an uptick more than dozen daily new COVID-19 cases as it began a third round of mass testing of millions of people Wednesday in the run-up to the Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
China's Olympics COVID measures test residents' patience

By Ken Moritsugu Jan. 26, 2022 12:51 AM EST

Volunteers wearing face masks to help protect from the coronavirus check name lists at a coronavirus testing facility at a school in Fengtai District in Beijing, Monday, Jan. 24, 2022. Chinese authorities have lifted a monthlong lockdown of Xi'an and its 13 million residents as infections subside ahead of the Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, the 2 million residents of one Beijing district are being tested following a series of cases in the capital. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
China tests 2M in Beijing, lifts COVID lockdown in Xi’an

By Ken Moritsugu Jan. 24, 2022 12:31 AM EST

Visitors wearing face masks to help protect from the coronavirus gather to take souvenir photo with a decoration for the Beijing Winter Olympics Games on display at Qianmen Street, a popular tourist spot in Beijing, Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022. Chinese authorities have called on the public to stay where they are during the Lunar New Year instead of traveling to their hometowns for the year's most important family holiday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Beijing district orders mass virus testing ahead of Olympics

Jan. 23, 2022 06:19 AM EST

Residents line up for mass coronavirus tests in Huaxian County in central China's Henan Province, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. China further tightened its anti-pandemic measures in Beijing and across the country on Friday as scattered outbreaks continued ahead of the opening of the Winter Olympics in a little over two weeks. (Chinatopix via AP)
Anti-coronavirus measures tightened across China

Jan. 14, 2022 04:28 AM EST

Olympic Rings assembled atop of a structure stand out near a ski resort on the outskirts of Beijing, China, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. The Chinese capital is gearing up for the Winter Olympics the midst of COVID-19 outbreaks in several Chinese cities which have been locked down. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
China faces omicron test weeks ahead of Beijing Olympics

By Huizhong Wu Jan. 13, 2022 01:15 AM EST

FILE - Francois Carrard, FIFA Reform Committee Chairman, attends a news conference at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, Dec. 3, 2015. The former longtime IOC director general Francois Carrard has died, the Olympic body said Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. He was 83. The International Olympic Committee said it was “deeply saddened” to learn of Carrard’s death. The cause was not specified. (Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP, file)
François Carrard, legal doyen of Olympic sports, dies at 83

Jan. 10, 2022 04:05 AM EST

Munich city council backs NFL games at home of Bayern

Dec. 15, 2021 10:28 AM EST
MUNICH (AP) — The Munich city council gave its backing Wednesday to a bid to host regular-season NFL games at the home of soccer club Bayern Munich. ...

FILE - Mike Lafferty, Eugene, Ore. in Sapporo non-stop training run of Olympic men?s downhill on Mt. Eniwa track in which he finished fifth, Feb. 6, 1972. 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/Michel Lipchitz, File)
Sapporo says it can hold 2030 Olympics and also save money

By Stephen Wade And Yuri Kageyama Nov. 29, 2021 05:05 AM EST

FILE - This Thursday, April 4, 2019 file photo shows a view of the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy. The opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held at the current San Siro stadium, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala announced Friday Oct. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
Milan mayor: 2026 ceremony will be held in old San Siro

Oct. 29, 2021 01:25 PM EDT

French President Emmanuel Macron, followed by French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer arrive in Tremblay-en-France, outside Paris, Thursday, Oct.14, 2021. French President Emmanuel Macron will promote sports ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, Pool)
France to boost sport practice ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics

Oct. 14, 2021 09:02 AM EDT

Residents wearing masks wait at a bus stop in Beijing Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. China's "zero tolerance" strategy of trying to isolate every case and stop transmission of the coronavirus has kept kept the country where the virus first was detected in late 2019 largely free of the disease. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
China keeps virus at bay at high cost ahead of Olympics

By Joe Mcdonald And Huizhong Wu Sep. 21, 2021 08:32 PM EDT

Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura, left, bites the Olympic gold medal of Miu Goto, right, of Japan softball team who won the event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, at the city office building in Nagoya, central Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. (Kyodo News via AP)
Japan mayor apologizes for biting athlete's gold medal

By Mari Yamaguchi Aug. 12, 2021 11:13 AM EDT

In this June 21, 2021, file photo, a resident receives a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot at their office in Tokyo. Tokyo's COVID-19 infections surged to a six-month high Wednesday, July 21, 2021, with the Olympic host city logging 1,832 new cases just two days before the Games open. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
Tokyo virus cases hit 6-month high 2 days before Games open

By Mari Yamaguchi Jul. 21, 2021 05:50 AM EDT

President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach announces Brisbane as the 2032 Summer Olympics host city during the 138th IOC Session at Hotel Okura in Tokyo, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (Toru Hanai/Pool Photo via AP)
Brisbane picked to host 2032 Olympics without a rival bid

By Graham Dunbar Jul. 21, 2021 04:34 AM EDT

People gather at a bar after government imposed 8 p.m. closing time for restaurants and bars under Tokyo's fourth state of emergency Saturday, July 17, 2021, in Tokyo. The latest state of emergency has asked restaurants and bars to close by 8 p.m., if not entirely. This has pushed people to drink outside, although many bars remain open and bustling with customers who are defying the rules and expressing frustration and indifference. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Tokyo's drinkers drown frustrations over virus limits, Games

By Kantaro Komiya Jul. 21, 2021 12:07 AM EDT

Foreign visitors wait in the holding area to take a COVID-19 test at the Narita International Airport on July 10, 2021, in Narita, near Tokyo. Japan’s massive security apparatus for the upcoming Summer Olympics is raising complaints that the nation, during the weeks of the Games, will look more like authoritarian North Korea or China than one of the world’s most powerful, vibrant democracies. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Japan's Olympic security balancing act leaves few satisfied

By Foster Klug And Mari Yamaguchi Jul. 16, 2021 11:04 PM EDT

Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto looks on after the five-party meeting in Tokyo, Thursday, July 8, 2021. (Behrouz Mehri/Pool Photo via AP)
Japan bans fans at Tokyo-area Olympics venues due to virus

By Mari Yamaguchi And Stephen Wade Jul. 08, 2021 02:11 AM EDT

Ireland's athletes for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games arrive at Narita international airport in Narita, east of Tokyo, Thursday, July 1, 2021. The pressure of hosting an Olympics during a still-active pandemic is beginning to show in Japan. The games begin July 23, with organizers determined they will go on, even if stadiums and arenas reduce the number of spectators.(Kyodo News via AP)
As Tokyo Olympics approach, virus worries rise in Japan

By Mari Yamaguchi Jul. 06, 2021 12:01 AM EDT

People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk through an underpass in Tokyo, Monday, June 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Japan ups health controls as Olympic athlete tests positive

By Mari Yamaguchi Jun. 28, 2021 05:09 AM EDT

Intrernational Olympic Committee (IOC vice president John Coates speaks on a screen while Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto listens at a meeting of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Tokyo on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. IOC president Thomas Bach, Hashimoto, Japanese Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike attended a three-day meeting. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/Pool Photo via AP)
Brisbane set to be named 2032 Olympics host next month

By Graham Dunbar Jun. 10, 2021 11:24 AM EDT