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 has assuringly landed in an Austrian airline aircraft at Schwechat International Airport in Vienna Austria, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021. Tsimanouskaya plans to seek refuge in Europe after accusing team officials of trying to force her to leave the Tokyo Games early. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner)
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

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

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 July 14, 2021, file photo, journalists film the National Ski Jumping Centre, one of the venues for Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, during a media tour in Zhangjiakou in northwestern China's Hebei province. The IOC says the Olympics are only about the sports; no politics allowed. But reporters from other countries who puncture the PR skin to explore other aspects of life in China — as they have in Japan during the Tokyo Olympics — could draw more than criticism. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, 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/Petr David Josek)
Japan: Belarus runner involved in airport standoff is safe

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

Yulimar Rojas, of Venezuela, competes in the final of the women's triple jump at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Olympics Latest: Belarus runner says team forcing departure

Jul. 31, 2021 09:18 PM EDT

Simone Manuel, top, of the United States, swims alongside Emma Mckeon, of Australia, during heat 10 of the women's 50-meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
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. 22, 2018, file photo, North Korean cheerleaders sing during the men's 500 meters short track speedskating semifinal in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. At the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, North Korea had no real medal contenders, but it was among the most watched nations at the Games, with a huge delegation highlighted by a 229-member strong, all-female cheering squad. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
Even in absence, North Korea's presence felt at Tokyo Games

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

THIS CORRECTS TO GOLD, NOT BRONZE - Naohisa Takato of Japan, left, and Yang Yung-wei of Taiwan compete during their men's -60kg gold medal 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

Drones flying over the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of 2020 Tokyo Olympics is seen from Shibuya Sky observation deck Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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