Don’t blink! Summer Olympics’ fastest sport, kitesurfing, will debut at Paris Games

The fastest sport at the Paris Games has such wild speeds that the athletes say the waves and the wind become muted. Welcome to the Olympic debut of kitesurfing. “What’s cool is it’s so silent, flying across not hitting the water,” Daniela Moroz said. ...

From 5-time Olympian to new classes, U.S. sailing team looking for a comeback at Paris Games

MIAMI (AP) — The U.S. sailors going to the Paris Olympics are looking for a comeback in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Marseille — perhaps none more than veteran Stu McNay, returning for his fifth Olympics but competing in a new mixed-gender category. The Rhode Island...

From schools to the Olympics, how France's staunch secularism affects religion in public life

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Walk around multicultural metropolises like Paris or Marseille, or any small village in the French countryside, and signs of faith are everywhere. Many Muslim women wear headscarves and historical Catholic churches anchor nearly every neighborhood. But...

France is proud of its secularism. But struggles grow in this approach to faith, school, integration

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Brought into the international spotlight by the ban on hijabs for French athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympics, France’s unique approach to “laïcité” — loosely translated as “secularism” — has been increasingly stirring controversy from schools to sports...

France is proud of its secularism. But struggles grow in this approach to faith, school, integration

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Brought into the international spotlight by the ban on hijabs for French athletes at the upcoming Paris Olympics, France’s unique approach to “laïcité” — loosely translated as “secularism” — has been increasingly stirring controversy across the country. ...

'The Fly’ has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?

PARIS (AP) — A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy in which two guards were killed. Mohamed Amra, 30, has a long and violent criminal history that has now culminated in a...

Torchbearers in Marseille kick off the Olympic flame's journey across France

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Joyful crowds gathered along the streets of France’s southern port of Marseille on Thursday to see torchbearers carrying the Olympic flame through the city's most emblematic sites, a day after it arrived on a majestic three-mast ship for a welcoming ceremony. ...

Olympic torch begins journey across France after festive welcome in Marseille before Summer Games

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Tens of thousands of people welcomed the Olympic torch Wednesday in the southern French city of Marseille, marking another milestone in the lead-up to the Summer Games in Paris. French Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou became the first torch carrier in...

Olympic swimmer Florent Manaudou becomes first French torch carrier as relay begins in Marseille before heading to Paris

From Marseille to Mont-Blanc: What to know about the journey of the Olympic torch to Paris

The Olympic torch will finally enter France when it reaches the southern seaport of Marseille on Wednesday. And it's already been quite a journey. After being lit on April 16 in Ancient Olympia, the torch was carried around Greece before leaving Athens aboard a three-mast ship named...