Political defections
Boxer Thomas Essomba poses for a portrait after training at Steel City Gym in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2021. Cameroonian boxer Thomas Essomba, was one of seven people who defected at London 2012. Nine years on, he talks to AP about what it’s been like to live with that decision. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
9 years on, Cameroon Olympic boxer talks of defection to UK

By Sylvia Hui And Tristan Werkmeister Aug. 06, 2021 02:23 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

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)
Poland grants visa to Belarus Olympian who fears for safety

By Graham Dunbar Aug. 02, 2021 05:16 AM EDT

Several Cuban baseball players walk on the field during a break from the training session at the Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. A little over a week after the start of the Las Americas Baseball Pre-Olympic in Florida, the Cuban team does not have visas to travel to the United States. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Cuban baseball player defects after arriving in Florida

May. 26, 2021 11:53 PM EDT

Hungarian water polo player Ervin Zador, his eye cut during a fight with a Russian player in the closing stages of the Hungary vs. Russia water polo match is consoled by Hungarian team captain Dezso Gyarmati after the incident. The Melbourne Olympics were already quite unique before they started. They were the first games held in the southern hemisphere, and ran from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8 to take in the Australian summer. (AP Photo)
"Blood in the Water:" War in the 1956 Olympic pool

By Dennis Passa Aug. 03, 2020 02:13 PM EDT