Olympics

US men and Canada women win flag football world titles as spots earned for the Los Angeles Olympics

The Associated Press 3 minute read 12:35 PM CDT

DÜSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — The United States successfully defended the men's title at the flag football world championships on Sunday but lost the women's title to Canada, while Mexico's women and Canada's men earned qualification spots for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The U.S. men beat Italy 46-26 to secure a sixth straight title and the women missed out on a fourth straight title after losing 27-20 to Canada.

“Gold is the only standard,” said men's quarterback Nico Casares, who threw two touchdown passes. “That's our motto. That's what we play by, that's what we live by.”

The U.S. women started strongly but it was tied 14-14 at the break after Caroline Moquin-Joubert caught quarterback Sara Parker's pass at the end of the first half. Parker set up Frederique Morneau at the start of the second half as Canada took control.

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Olympics

Canada's players celebrate and run to their injured teammate after winning the Flag Football World Championship women's final game between Canada and USA in Duesseldorf, Germany, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Canadian men to join world-champion women when flag football makes Olympic debut

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Canadian men to join world-champion women when flag football makes Olympic debut

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 5:30 PM CDT

DUESSELDORF - Canada's women's flag football team beat the United States for the world title, while men's squad booked its place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on Sunday at the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) world championships.

The women, who had already qualified with a 20-6 semifinal win over top-ranked Mexico on Saturday, capped a perfect tournament with a 27-20 win over the Americans in the final.

Frédérique Morneau had three touchdown catches for Canada. Quarterback Sara Parker hit Caroline Moquin-Joubert for Canada's other score.

Parker, who had 23 total touchdown passes, was named the most valuable player of the women's tournament.

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Updated: 5:30 PM CDT

Olympics

Canada's quarterback Sara Parker throws the ball during the Flag Football World Championship women's match between Canada and Panama in Duesseldorf, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Canadian women punch ticket to 2028 Olympic Games in flag football

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Canadian women punch ticket to 2028 Olympic Games in flag football

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:51 PM CDT

DUESSELDORF - The Canadian women's flag football team is bound for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Canada defeated Mexico 20-6 in an International Federation of American Football (IFAF) world championship semifinal Saturday.

"I am so proud of this team," said Canadian women's team head coach Rachel Lessard in a statement. "Qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games is a reflection of the discipline, resilience and trust this team has built over the course of this process, and they've earned every bit of this opportunity at the 2026 IFAF Flag Football world championships.

"Canadian flag football is on the rise, and we're honoured to officially be able to help carry that momentum to the 2028 Olympic Games."

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:51 PM CDT

Olympics

Canada women unbeaten, men fall to Japan ahead of flag football quarterfinals

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Canada women unbeaten, men fall to Japan ahead of flag football quarterfinals

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

DÜSSELDORF - Canada's women completed a perfect preliminary round at the world flag football championships Friday, rallying for a 34-20 victory over Japan to improve to 3-0.

Quarterback Sara Parker threw four touchdown passes, including two to Caroline Moquin-Joubert.

Alexane Fournier and Marianne Quirion also caught TD passes, while Frédérique Morneau scored a rushing touchdown as Canada erased a 20-13 halftime deficit with 21 unanswered points in the second half.

Canada will face Austria in Saturday's quarterfinals. A victory would send the Canadians into a semifinal against the winner of Mexico and Spain.

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Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Olympics

Canada's women's team poses during the media day ahead of the Flag Football World Championships, the sports first Olympic qualifier for LA28, in Duesseldorf, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Canadian flag football teams perfect on opening day of world championships

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Canadian flag football teams perfect on opening day of world championships

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

DÜSSELDORF - Quarterback Sara Parker put on a passing clinic as Canada's women opened the world flag football championships with two wins Thursday.

Parker completed 29 of 39 passes and threw four touchdowns in a 27-14 victory over Panama, including three to Caroline Moquin-Joubert.

Parker then completed 24 of 32 passes with four more touchdowns as Canada rolled past Brazil 36-6. Marianne Quirion and Frédérique Morneau each scored two touchdowns.

Canada's men opened with a 26-6 win over Austria. Michael O'Connor completed 19 of 24 passes for four touchdowns. The men improved to 2-0 after being awarded a victory over Nigeria, which withdrew because of visa issues.

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Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

Olympics

United States quarterback Nicholas Casares speaks to the Associated Press during the media day ahead of the Flag Football World Championships, the sports first Olympic qualifier for LA28, in Duesseldorf, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

How flag football is key to the NFL’s plans to further global reach

James Ellingworth, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

How flag football is key to the NFL’s plans to further global reach

James Ellingworth, The Associated Press 7 minute read Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

DUSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Five-on-five, no contact and an emphasis on speed and elusiveness. The future of football around the world looks different.

The NFL is still hoping to reap the rewards.

The league is making its presence known this week in Dusseldorf as the German city hosts the first-ever Olympic qualifier in flag football, a game the NFL sees as a way to turn viewers into players and lifelong fans.

There are already NFL-branded flag classes in schools from Europe to Australia, Olympic medals on offer in Los Angeles in two years’ time and NFL-backed leagues coming soon that could offer a livelihood to some of the more than 300 players from 18 countries participating in the qualifiers that began Thursday and which double as the world championships.

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Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

Olympics

Former CFL player Marc-Antoine Dequoy, now with Canada's national men's flag football team is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Football Canada (Mandatory Credit)

Former CFL player Dequoy back playing football with Canadian men’s flag team

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Former CFL player Dequoy back playing football with Canadian men’s flag team

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026

Roughly six months into retirement, Marc-Antoine Dequoy is back competing for a football championship.

The 31-year-old safety is with the Canadian men's team that's in Duesseldorf, Germany, for the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) world flag football championship. Dequoy announced his CFL retirement in February following five seasons with the Montreal Alouettes.

"I was just done playing football physically," Dequoy said. "When you sign a CFL contract, you sign up for 18 games and I knew my body wouldn't let me make that commitment of a full off-season, training camp and 18 games.

"For me, it was about being true to the sport. If there's any hesitation, the risks increase two, three times. I've been playing at one speed all of my life until the end and that's when I realized it was probably time."

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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026

Olympics

All Around second place finisher Claire Pease, left, All Around Champion Hezly Rivera, center, and All Around third place finisher Charleigh Bullock, right, stand on the podium at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

The pull of a home Olympics: Why US medalists are coming back for Los Angeles 2028

Will Graves, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

The pull of a home Olympics: Why US medalists are coming back for Los Angeles 2028

Will Graves, The Associated Press 7 minute read Monday, Aug. 10, 2026

PHOENIX (AP) — For those who have competed — or nearly competed — under the Olympic rings, the fear of missing out the next time the Games beckon is real. Regardless of the venue. Regardless of the sport.

Athletes who try to run it back following a lengthy sabbatical (and in some cases, a lengthy retirement) is hardly new. The list is filled with household names, from Mark Spitz to Michael Phelps. From Lindsey Vonn to Simone Biles. And on and on and on.

Still, the steady drip figures to be more of a deluge as Los Angeles 2028 approaches. The inherent pull of the Games combined with the chance to compete at home on the world stage under the white-hot spotlight only the Olympics provide is already proving too tempting to ignore for a generation of American stars who have racked up medal after medal on seemingly every other continent but their own.

Track icon Allyson Felix is mounting a return in her early 40s. Six-time Olympic medalist and 2020 Olympic gymnastics all-around champion Suni Lee (with documentary crew in tow) announced last month she's started training for a shot at her third Games. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey is already back, winning the vault and finishing fifth in the all-around at the U.S. championships over the weekend.

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Monday, Aug. 10, 2026

Olympics

Canadian national women's flag football defensive back Sabrina Gervais is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Football Canada (Mandatory Credit)

Veteran Gervais leads Canada into world championship with Olympic bid on the line

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Veteran Gervais leads Canada into world championship with Olympic bid on the line

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Monday, Aug. 10, 2026

She's a mom, health-care professional and longtime flag football player. Sabrina Gervais now hopes to add Olympian to her life resume.

The veteran defensive back leads Canada's national women's team into the 2026 world championship. Not only will the Canadians chase a gold medal but also a berth into the 2028 Los Angeles Games, where flag football makes its Olympic debut.

"It would be realizing a dream I would've never dreamt before," Gervais said. "I never thought about (Olympics), but now that I'm still in the loop, I think the chances are good if I can stay healthy and continue to be a leader for my team.

"That would definitely be a dream."

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Monday, Aug. 10, 2026

Olympics

Retired Olympic gold medal gymnast Nadia Comaneci greets supporters during a media availability in Montreal on Thursday, July 30, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Olympic great Comaneci returns to Montreal, where her perfect 10 changed gymnastics

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Olympic great Comaneci returns to Montreal, where her perfect 10 changed gymnastics

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Thursday, Jul. 30, 2026

MONTREAL - The bright orange suit Nadia Comaneci wore Thursday matched the colour of the Olympic torch outside the Canadian Olympic House in downtown Montreal, while a gold necklace in the shape of the Olympic rings hinted at the reason for her return.

Fifty years after becoming the first gymnast to earn a perfect 10 at an Olympic Games, the Romanian legend returned to the city where, at 14, she delivered the iconic performance.

“It’s always emotional to be back here in Montreal,” said the 64-year-old Comaneci.

“To be able to celebrate 50 years is a long time. We live in a world that has the tendency to forget moments very fast, and to be here to celebrate this amazing 50 years since ’76 is… a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

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Thursday, Jul. 30, 2026

Olympics

Canadian national long-track speedskating team members train on the ice at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alta., Friday, June 11, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Federal, Alberta governments invest $52 million in Calgary Olympic Oval upgrade

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Federal, Alberta governments invest $52 million in Calgary Olympic Oval upgrade

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Monday, Jul. 27, 2026

CALGARY - Calgary's Olympic Oval is getting an upgrade.

The federal and provincial governments are equally splitting a $52-million contribution to the renewal of the speedskating facility built for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

The federal government also announced Monday an additional $7.67 million for ski racing and snowboard facilities in Quebec, Yukon, Alberta and B.C., as well as a $3-million top-up to the Athletic Assistance Program, which provides Canada's high-performance athletes monthly cheques to help pay their bills.

"This is not just a good day for Canadian sport or speedskating in Canada. This is a good era of Canadian sport because we're making the largest investments our country has ever seen in sport from the playground to the podium, from the people and the places and everything in between that sport requires to continue being Canada's greatest nation-building project," Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden said Monday in Calgary.

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Monday, Jul. 27, 2026

Olympics

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, and President Donald Trump comment on the medals as they wait to congratulate the Spanish players after the World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Sunday, July 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

IOC won’t pursue its member Infantino over FIFA red-card ruling at World Cup

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

IOC won’t pursue its member Infantino over FIFA red-card ruling at World Cup

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press 2 minute read Friday, Jul. 24, 2026

GENEVA (AP) — IOC member and FIFA leader Gianni Infantino will not have to explain to the Olympic body how U.S. President Donald Trump helped to stop a player’s ban at the World Cup.

The IOC said on Friday it has no jurisdiction to investigate Infantino’s alleged lack of political neutrality.

A London-based NGO formally complained this month to the International Olympic Committee ethics commission about Infantino, including his part in ensuring United States forward Folarin Balogun did not serve a mandatory one-game ban despite being sent off in the previous game.

The IOC’s Olympic Charter cites neutrality among “fundamental principles of Olympism” for sports bodies like FIFA and its 100-plus members, which has included Infantino since 2020.

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Friday, Jul. 24, 2026

Olympics

Australian Olympian Emma McKeon, left, and Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee President Andrew Liveris pose at the unveiling of the count-down clock marking six years until the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, in Brisbane, Australia, Thursday, July 23, 2026. (Darren England/AAP Image via AP)

Olympic countdown clock raises venue timeline questions for Brisbane 2032

John Pye, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Olympic countdown clock raises venue timeline questions for Brisbane 2032

John Pye, The Associated Press 4 minute read Thursday, Jul. 23, 2026

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — A pesky native bird appeared on the podium almost on cue as organizers prepared to unveil a countdown clock marking six years to go until the 2032 Olympics.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner noted the timely white ibis in his welcoming remarks, joking with the crowd that it wouldn't be an event in Brisbane without the appearance of a “bin chicken,” as the bird is colloquially known.

There's a small, humorous push locally for the ibis to become a mascot for the Brisbane Games rather than one of Australia's more widely known native animals such as the kangaroo or the koala.

Schrinner didn't miss a beat and the bird moved off before the big digital Omega clock officially started counting down Thursday in the downtown Queen Street mall.

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Thursday, Jul. 23, 2026

Olympics

SafeSport Center to begin publicizing names of people who go on its banned list

Eddie Pells, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

SafeSport Center to begin publicizing names of people who go on its banned list

Eddie Pells, The Associated Press 2 minute read Tuesday, Jul. 21, 2026

The U.S. Center for SafeSport began making public announcements of people placed on its disciplinary database Tuesday, a move designed to increase transparency and bring more attention to what the center believes is one of its top tools in the fight against sex abuse.

The center, in charge of combating abuse in Olympic sports, has long published what it calls its Centralized Disciplinary Database. But without publicizing who lands on the list, people had to access the database and know who they were looking for to learn about banned and restricted people in their orbit.

Now, the center will share weekly updates about people added to the list; the updates will include cases taken to arbitration that have reached a decision.

"Knowledge is power and maintaining safe sport environments improves when information is as accessible as possible,” said the center's CEO, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley. “By sharing weekly news updates of individuals who have been added to the Centralized Disciplinary Database, we hope to improve safeguarding through increased public awareness.”

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Tuesday, Jul. 21, 2026

Olympics

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout looks on following a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Discussions for major leaguers in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in early stages

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Discussions for major leaguers in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in early stages

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2026

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Discussions for major leaguers to play in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics baseball tournament remain in the early stages, with players used to top hotels wanting to be assured of accommodations.

Major League Baseball has envisioned an extended 11-day All-Star break. The last regular-season games before the break would be on July 9, followed by the All-Star Game on July 11, likely at San Francisco, and the Olympic tournament at Dodger Stadium from July 13-19. The season would resume July 21.

“In general our players want to play in the Olympics. They’re patriotic, and for them it’s a special opportunity, and we want them to have that opportunity,” union head Bruce Meyer said Tuesday ahead of the All-Star Game. “Having said that, we want to make sure that they have things like travel and accommodations, and things that they deserve based on who they are.”

Five entities are involved in the negotiations: Major League Baseball, the players' association, the International Olympic Committee, the LA28 local organizing committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

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Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2026

Olympics

SafeSport hired ex-police officer whose actions led to a $24M civil verdict against her department

Eddie Pells, The Associated Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2026

PARKER, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. Center for SafeSport hired a former police officer a year after she quit the force while subject of a malicious prosecution lawsuit that resulted in a $24 million verdict against her department.

The case alleged that detective Shannon Brukbacher wrongfully arrested a man, Robert Dial, on charges of evidence tampering and being an accessory in a fatal shooting involving his son.

Brukbacher's hiring at the center was announced Oct. 27, 2025, a year after she had retired from the force in Parker, Colorado — not far from the headquarters of the Denver-based center, which investigates sex-abuse cases involving Olympic sports.

The hiring also came about a year after Dial filed the lawsuit in which he alleged false arrest and malicious prosecution in a case that stemmed from his son's fatal shooting of a roommate. Dial won the $24 million verdict in May. Brukbacher's lawyers appealed the verdict last week.

August 16, 2026

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