2020 Tokyo Olympics

FILE - North Dakota defenseman Jake Sanderson plays against Penn State during an NCAA college hockey game on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. USA Hockey and Hockey Canada are eyeing several college players to play at the Olympics after the NHL decided not to participate in Beijing. North Dakota’s Jake Sanderson has already agreed to play for the U.S. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

US starts Olympic preparation in Beijing without 3 players

BEIJING (AP) — Six weeks after the NHL pulled out of the Olympics and three weeks since USA Hockey finalized the roster, the full team was finally on the ice together Friday for the first time.

Exile Tibetans burn a Chinese flag during a protest against Beijing Winter Olympic Games in New Delhi, India, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Hundreds of Tibetan exiles are marching outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, denouncing the Beijing Winter Olympics and demanding freedom for their region. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Tibetans in India demonstrate against Beijing Olympics

FILE - United States' Breezy Johnson smiles at finish area during an alpine ski, women's World Cup super-G race in Val D'Isere, France, Dec. 19, 2021. Johnson is sitting out the Beijing Games after some training crashes in January left her knee in need of surgery. (AP Photo/Giovanni Pizzato, File)

In Alpine skiing, bad timing for an injury means no Olympics

Russian Olympic Committee's Polina Bolgareva, left, celebrates after scoring a goal against Switzerland during a preliminary round women's hockey game at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Russians win in women’s hockey after quarantine at Olympics

United States' Dusty Hendricksen catches air on the slopestyle course ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Going big: Olympic slopestyle course has its own Great Wall

Speedskater Dawson stuck in US, still hopes to make Olympics

He tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks ago.

Snow blows across the course as Dominik Paris of Italy makes a jump during men's downhill training at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Kilde fastest in 2nd downhill training session at Olympics

BEIJING (AP) — On their second trip down a previously unknown Olympic hill, the world’s top skiers had to deal with strong winds.

FILE - A biathlete from Slovakia prepares to shoot during practice at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 3, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

EXPLAINER: Biathlon combines physical demands, mental calm

One analogy often used to describe how it feels to compete in a biathlon race goes like this: “Run up 20 flights of stairs as fast as you can and then try to thread a needle.”

FILE - Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei poses for a portrait prior to a news conference in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 2, 2020. Weiwei helped design Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium for the 2008 Olympics. It's again the venue for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Exiled artist Ai Weiwei reflects on Beijing Olympics

BEIJING (AP) — When the artist Ai Weiwei was picked to help design Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics, he hoped the Games and the venue’s distinct architecture — the instantly recognizable weave of curving steel beams — would symbolize China’s new openness.

FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin enter a hall for talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019. The U.S., Britain and a handful of others aren’t sending dignitaries to the Beijing Games as part of a diplomatic boycott, but the Chinese capital is still attracting an array of world leaders for Friday’s opening ceremony. Russia’s athletes will be competing under a neutral flag, but the presence of Putin, an enthusiastic skier and hockey player, will reinforce that they are the Russian national team in all but name and soothe wounded national pride. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File)

World leaders: Who’s coming, who isn’t to Beijing Olympics

The U.S., Britain and a handful of others aren’t sending dignitaries to the Beijing Winter Games as part of a diplomatic boycott, but the Chinese capital is still attracting an array of world leaders for Friday’s opening ceremony.

Kamaltürk Yalqun holds the aluminium Olympics torch he carried at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games at the age of 17, on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, in Boston. The decade after the Games saw Beijing impose policies on his region of Xinjiang that split apart his family and Uyghur community. Today, he is an activist in the United States calling for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Games, which will see the Olympic flame returned to Beijing. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

For Uyghur torchbearer, China’s Olympic flame has gone dark

At the age of 17, Kamaltürk Yalqun was chosen to help carry the Olympic flame ahead of the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

Olympic trials finalist is 1st Iowa women’s wrestling signee

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A junior world champion and U.S. Olympic trials finalist is the first member of the Iowa women’s wrestling program’s inaugural signing class.

United States players celebrate a goal as Finland's Emilia Vesa (32) skates by during a preliminary round women's hockey game at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Decker hurt in defending champion US’s 5-2 win over Finland

BEIJING (AP) — Difficult as it was hearing Brianna Decker crying out in pain while laying prone on the ice, Kendall Coyne Schofield understood the U.S. women’s hockey team still had a game to finish.

FILE - In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. The last time the Olympics came to China, Xi Jinping oversaw the whole endeavor. Now the Games are back, and he is running the entire nation. The Chinese president, hosting a Winter Olympics beleaguered by complaints about human rights abuses, has upended tradition to restore strongman rule in China and tighten Communist Party control over the economy and society. (Yao Dawei/Xinhua via AP, File)

President Xi Jinping, China’s ‘chairman of everything’

The last time the Olympics came to China, Xi Jinping oversaw the whole endeavor. Now the Games are back, and he is running the entire nation.

Figure skating athletes Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China train at Capital Indoor Stadium at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Team event up 1st as Olympic figure skating begins

The team competition in Olympic figure skating has been dominated over the years by the Russians, the Canadians and the Americans.

AP Sportlight

Feb. 4

1861 — The Philadelphia Athletics beat Charter Oak 36-27 in a baseball game played on frozen Litchfield Pond in Brooklyn, N.Y., with the players wearing ice skates.

AP-Sportlight-Week Ahead

Feb. 8

1936 — Jay Berwanger, University of Chicago halfback and Heisman Trophy winner, is the first player ever selected in the NFL Draft.

FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, center right, enter a hall for talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019. Amid the soaring tensions over Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin is heading to Beijing on a trip intended to help strengthen Russia's ties with China and coordinate their policies amid Western pressure. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File)

Putin heads to China to bolster ties amid Ukraine tensions

American and European officials may be staying away from the Beijing Winter Olympics because of human rights concerns, but Russian President Vladimir Putin will be on hand even as tensions soar over his buildup of troops along his country’s border with Ukraine.

The Latest: Japanese snowboarder Yoshika injured in crash

Japanese snowboarder Rina Yoshika injured her back in a training crash and will not be able to compete in the Olympic slopestyle contest.

Tibetan musician Loten Namling walks from Bern to the IOC Lausanne with skis and ski boots and a Chinese flag trailing behind him, on Wednesday, 26 January 2022, in Bern, Switzerland, as part of a protest march to protest against the Beijing Winter Games. With the action, Loten Namling wants to draw the attention of athletes in Switzerland to the oppression of Tibetans by the Chinese government. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)

Hundreds of Tibetans protest outside IOC headquarters

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Hundreds of Tibetans marched Thursday outside the Swiss headquarters of the International Olympic Committee, demanding freedom for their region as Beijing prepares to host the Winter Games.

United States' Jaelin Kauf competes in the women's moguls qualifying at Genting Snow Park at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Strong in qualifying, Kauf gets head start at Beijing Games

ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Before her qualifying round, moguls skier Jaelin Kauf put on a pair of necklaces — one silver, the other gold — custom-made by her mom.

FILE - FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks during the Confederation of African Football general assembly in Cairo, Egypt, July 18, 2019. Infantino has linked his plan for biennial World Cups to giving more hope to African people who currently risk their lives crossing the sea to Europe. Infantino's comments were in a speech to European lawmakers in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, file)

Olympic members unite against Infantino’s World Cup plan

FIFA’s fading plan for biennial World Cups has been labeled a threat from soccer to all other sports by the International Olympic Committee.

IOC president Bach says Peng Shuai can move freely in China

The president of the International Olympic Committee has sought to play down concerns about the safety of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai while also saying he planned to go ahead with their long-promised dinner during the Beijing Games.

FILE- Indian traders reacting to the killing of Indian troops in a clash with Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh burn Chinese products and a poster president Xi Jinping during a protest in New Delhi, India, June 22, 2020. India will stay away from the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics with an Indian official accusing China of politicizing the event. India objected to China using a soldier involved in fighting with Indian forces in Eastern Ladakh as a torchbearer for the Olympics ceremony. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

Riled up by torchbearer, India skips China Olympics opening

NEW DELHI (AP) — India will not attend Friday’s opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, after one of the torchbearers reportedly chosen by Chinese authorities riled up New Delhi’s anger.

Denmark's Frans Nielsen skates during a men's ice hockey training session at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Danish men and women finish ‘marathon’ to reach Olympics

BEIJING (AP) — Frans Nielsen played in almost 1,000 NHL games and knew this would be his final season playing hockey.

FILE - The National Stadium and the Beijing Olympic Tower are lit in red on the eve of the Chinese New Year ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Jan. 31, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Olympic spotlight back on China for a COVID-tinged Games

BEIJING (AP) — Long before the global pandemic upended sports and the world in general, the 2022 Winter Olympics faced unsettling problems.

James Crawford, of Canada makes a jump during a men's downhill training run at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Canadian downhill skiers aim for Olympic success

BEIJING (AP) — One was a figure skater. One was a hockey player. Another was — shh, don’t tell anyone!

A performer runs across the stage during a rehearsal for the medal ceremonies ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

AP PHOTOS: Olympic venues make final prep before Games begin

BEIJING (AP) — A day before the opening ceremony, Beijing’s 12 Olympic venues were mostly in a state of calm before the storm.

Czech Republic's Alena Mills (9) passes the puck away from China's Qiqi Lin (8) during a preliminary round women's hockey game at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

NCAA pipeline fuels Czech women’s hockey development

BEIJING (AP) — Alena Mills was 14 and dreaming of a career with the Colorado Avalanche, her favorite team.

Security personnel stand on the sidewalk near Wukesong Sports Centre hockey venue ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Russian Olympic women’s hockey team practices post-isolation

BEIJING (AP) — The Russian women’s hockey team held its first pre-Olympic practice Thursday after three days in isolation because of positive coronavirus tests and appears on track to play its tournament opener.

Manchester City's Jack Grealish, centre right, challenges for the ball with Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta during an English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Discovery, BT in talks over British pay-TV partnership

LONDON (AP) — The pay-TV sports market in Britain could be shaken up after media companies Discovery and BT Group said Thursday they were in exclusive discussions about forming a partnership.

Wu Jingyu, China's Taekwondo Olympic Champion, poses with a kick before taking part in the torch relay for the 2022 Winter Olympics at the Badaling Great Wall on the outskirts of Beijing, China, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

GLIMPSES: Shortened Olympic torch relay passes by Great Wall

BEIJING (AP) — Even a shortened Olympic torch relay had time for a stop at the Great Wall of China.

Wu Jingyu, who won gold for China in taekwondo at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, carried the flame to the iconic landmark on the second day of its journey to the Beijing Games.

Stefan Rogentin, of Switzerland makes a jump during a men's downhill training run at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)