OLYMPICS
LOS ANGELES (AP) Los Angeles could lose and win its Olympics gamble, ending up with the 2028 Games it never sought and the costly prospect of retooling its multibillion-dollar plans for more than a decade into the future.
In an atmosphere of uncertainty, International Olympic Committee leaders began three days of meetings and site visits to weigh LA's plans for the 2024 Games in its showdown with rival Paris. A decision is scheduled for September.
The two cities are the only remaining bidders after a string of embarrassing withdrawals by Rome, Hamburg, Germany, and Budapest, Hungary. Looking to avoid another messy competition, the International Olympic Committee has made an unusual proposal to award the next two Olympics, 2024 and 2028, one to each city.
LA organizers have publicly winced at the 2028 option - as with Paris, they say they are bidding only for 2024. The consolation prize would not only be a disappointment in LA, it would leave the city with challenges from maintaining public interest to recasting deals for stadiums, arenas and housing that have been in the works for months and even years.
PARIS (AP) - Paris Olympic bid leaders believe they have found a strong ally in France's new president, Emmanuel Macron.
As they get ready for an International Olympic Committee inspection panel visit later this week, Paris officials think Macron's victory over populist far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the presidential runoff is giving extra guarantees to the IOC about their dossier's sturdiness.
''The head of state's role is important and Emmanuel Macron is the leader we needed to embody the state's commitment,'' Paris bid leader Tony Estanguet said. ''He is a young and dynamic leader open to the world, and he wants to make France win abroad. Those are the values we're defending. It's easy for us to ride that wave.''
Currently in Los Angeles to assess the LA bid, members of the IOC will land in Paris on Saturday to inspect the city's planned venues and meet with French bid leaders. Estanguet said Macron is likely to meet with the IOC delegation at some point during the three-day visit.
SOCCER
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) - Hundreds of prosecutions of suspected wrongdoing by soccer officials will be affected by President Gianni Infantino firing FIFA's top judge and prosecutor.
The ousted investigator, Cornel Borbely, said that the workload - heavier than even most FIFA critics imagined - of the ethics committee will be impeded by the firing that Infantino sprung on his ruling council a day earlier.
On Wednesday, Infantino declined to discuss the reasons for not handing new terms to Swiss prosecutor Borbely and German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert.
The FIFA leader also insisted its image had not been damaged by the fallout - despite widespread comparisons of him with President Donald Trump, who also fired a top investigator on Tuesday.
NORTH CAROLINA ACADEMIC PROBE
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - A woman at the center of North Carolina's multi-year academic scandal interviewed with NCAA investigators after previously declining to cooperate in the probe.
Raleigh attorney Elliot Abrams told The Associated Press that his client - Deborah Crowder - met all day with investigators. Crowder is a retired office administrator in the formerly named African and Afro-American Studies (AFAM) department.
''She has never wavered in terms of what happened,'' Abrams told the AP, ''and I think she knew that this was a chance to actually tell her story, and she did a good job of doing that.''
UNC faces five top-level charges, including lack of institutional control, in the long-running probe centered on irregular AFAM courses featuring significant athlete enrollments.
The school was due in March to respond to the charges. But the case hit one of its many delays after Abrams wrote the NCAA to say that Crowder was willing to talk with investigators.
AUTO RACING
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The crew chief for Aric Almirola is the latest to earn a NASCAR suspension for a failed inspection.
Drew Blickensderfer was suspended three races because Almirola's fourth-place car at Talladega Superspeedway had too much rear skew. He was also fined $65,000 and Almirola was docked 35 points.
It is the same penalty Brad Keselowski's team earned earlier this year, and Team Penske lost its fight to appeal the punishments.
The Almirola penalty drops the Richard Petty Motorsports driver three spots in the Cup standings from 17th to 20th. RPM engineering director Scott McDougall will replace Blickensderfer during the suspension.
Also under suspension is Joey Logano crew chief Todd Gordon because Logano's winning car at Richmond failed inspection.
SPORTS TELEVISION
WOODBURY, Conn. (AP) - The wife of longtime ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman died in a traffic crash in Connecticut, the sports network's president confirmed.
Katherine Ann Berman, 67, a teacher, was one of two victims in the two-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in Woodbury, state police said. The other victim was identified by police as Edward Bertulis, 87, of Waterbury.
The Bermans have been married more than 33 years and have two adult children, Meredith and Doug.
According to the police account of the crash, both vehicles were traveling in the same direction on a two-lane road when Kathy Berman's car struck the rear of Bertulis' SUV, and both veered off the road.
