AP Sports

Boxer Imane Khelif fights for gold to cap an Olympics filled with misinformed scrutiny

PARIS (AP) — Imane Khelif is one victory away from wrapping up her tumultuous Paris Olympics with a gold medal around her neck after enduring waves of online abuse over misconceptions about her sex. Khelif fights Yang Liu of China in the final of the women’s welterweight division. The vitriol against Khelif and fellow two-time Olympian Li Yu-ting of Taiwan stems from the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association disqualifying them from last year’s world championships. The sport’s governing body has been banned from the Olympics and claimed both fighters had failed murky eligibility tests for women’s competition. The International Olympic Committee has called the arbitrary sex tests imposed on the two boxers irretrievably flawed.

The scrutiny Khelif and Lin face over their sex at the Olympics is a repeating problem in sports

It’s been 15 years since a teenage runner from South Africa was publicly scrutinized over her sex at a major sports event. The lesson everyone was meant to take from that was: never again. Yet the humiliation Caster Semenya faced has been repeated for two women competing in boxing at the Paris Olympics, exposing more female athletes to hurtful remarks and online abuse in a contentious divide over sex, gender and identity in sports. While Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan could be basking in the pride of winning fights for their countries, they are instead having their sex questioned after the Olympics-banned boxing federation claimed they failed opaque sex verification tests last year.

Athletes from conflict zones outside the spotlight find hope at the 2024 Olympics

PARIS (AP) — When they compete at the Paris Games, they’re just athletes at their peak, and the emphasis isn’t that they come from regions ravaged by war. The Olympics has brought together 10,500 athletes, including those from countries where 110 armed conflicts are raging. These are conflicts that often aren’t grabbing attention as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine dominate headlines. These wars — from Yemen to Syria and beyond — have indelibly shaped athletes from those places who think of the 2024 Olympics beyond sports. For some, it’s a chance to highlight forgotten human rights violations. For others, it’s a declaration of hope for peace or a chance to reinvent themselves and leave a war-torn past behind.

LeBron James, still leading the way for the US at age 39, has another chance at an Olympic gold

PARIS (AP) — LeBron James knows there aren’t many moments like this left. He’s 39. He’s entering his 22nd professional season. It’s logical to expect that the Paris Olympics will be his last time on this stage, and who knows if he’s got one more NBA championship run in him. If this is the Olympic finish line, though, he’s not sputtering toward it. He’s leading — on pace to do so in a way that the U.S. has never seen before. James could win the third gold medal of his Olympic career on Saturday night, when the U.S. takes on France for the title in Paris.

England delays announcing permanent successor to Southgate and appoints Carsley as interim coach

England has delayed hiring a permanent coach to replace Gareth Southgate and will be led by Lee Carsley, who is currently in charge of the country’s under-21 team, on an interim basis. Carsley’s first games as coach of the senior team will be against Ireland and Finland in the Nations League in September. Southgate left his position after eight years following England’s 2-1 loss to Spain in the European Championship final in July. Southgate also was promoted from the under-21s when getting the senior job in 2016. The 50-year-old Carsley was born in England but played international soccer for Ireland. He led England’s under-21 team to the European Championship title last year

The US will play France for the basketball crown at the Paris Games in a gold-medal rematch

PARIS (AP) — It’s a game the French wanted. It’s a game the Americans probably expected. It’s a game the world most certainly will be watching. The U.S. vs. France. In Paris. For basketball gold. It’s a storyline so good that only the boldest of script makers would dare to come up with such a final act. The showdown on Saturday night at the Paris Olympics is a rematch of the gold medal game from the Tokyo Games three years ago. The U.S. is seeking a fifth consecutive gold medal and 17th overall. The French are seeking their first gold after settling for silver at the 1948, 2000 and 2020 Olympics.

Kelvin Kiptum was a gold-medal favorite. After his death, his memory lingers over Olympic marathon

PARIS (AP) — The memory of Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum hovers over the men’s Olympic marathon. The 24-year-old world record holder would’ve been a gold-medal favorite along with two-time defending Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge. He was a marathon prodigy and Kenya’s newest star in the making before his death in February. He was killed along with his coach in a car crash, the latest tragedy to hit the nation’s long-distance community.

Wrexham is halfway to the Premier League under Ryan Reynolds. Expect things to get much tougher now

Wrexham is at the halfway stage of its unlikely journey to the Premier League. The next stop is League One. The Welsh club owned by actor Ryan Reynolds is hot off a successful preseason tour to the west coast of the United States and begins its domestic season on Saturday with a home match against Wycombe Wanderers in the third tier of English soccer. Wrexham hasn’t played at this level for 19 years. It’s a sign of the progress made by the team since it was bought by Reynolds and another actor, Rob McElhenney, for $2.5 million in 2021. Wrexham is coming off back-to-back promotions.

Buying tickets for the 2026 Winter Games will be tricky. Sliding could be in Cortina or Lake Placid

PARIS (AP) — Tickets are about to go on sale for the next Olympics and nobody is quite sure if one of the major Winter Games venues will be ready in time. Organizers for Milan-Cortina in 2026 are rushing to build a controversial sliding center in Cortina while at the same time keeping open existing backup options in Austria, Switzerland and New York. Sales of hospitality packages that include the bobsled, luge and skeleton competitions start in November. General ticket sales for 2026 open in February and organizers won’t know for sure until March whether the delayed sliding center in Cortina will be finished and approved.

Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb responds on social media after Jerry Jones says no urgency in contract dispute

OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ declaration that he “doesn’t have any urgency” to resolve a contract dispute with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb drew an immediate response, with Lamb posting “lol” on social media. Lamb is holding out of training camp as he seeks a new deal. The 25-year-old Lamb is in the final year of his rookie contract after leading the NFL in receptions last season. Quarterback Dak Prescott — going into the final year of his own contract — delivered pointed support of Lamb following Jones’ remarks. Following his press conference, Prescott said to reporters in a joking manner, “I know y’all want to ask, I got urgency for it to happen.”