The International Olympic Committee are making plans to reintegrate Russia and Belarussian athletes. Polish sports minister Kamil Bortniczuk has claimed that up to 40 countries could boycott the 2024 Olympics in protest.

The world's two largest cocoa producers boycott a major industry meeting in Europe over a price dispute. Also, South Africa says its government will take the lead in informing the public about any imminent threat to its territory after the US embassy issued a terror alert in Johannesburg for this weekend.

Berlin still hopes that relatives of Israeli Olympic team members killed by Palestinian terrorists in 1972 will attend a 50th anniversary ceremony next month.

The end of the standoff clears the way for ministers to meet after a three-month gap and come up with a plan to stop the country's economic meltdown.

IOC senior member Dick Pound told German radio that China would allow athletes to speak freely during news conferences. He said politics does not factor into decision-making on events.

China warned Western nations on Thursday they would "pay the price" for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Human rights activists on Monday (October 19) urged governments and athletes world-wide to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China as Athens prepared to hand over the Olympic flame to Beijing in a ceremony in the capital, saying that anything less would make the world complicit in what they called 'genocide' by Beijing. China's treatment of minorities has come under increased scrutiny in the run-up to the games, scheduled from Feb. 4-20. Activists protested at Ancient Olympia on Monday, where the flame lighting ceremony was held.

Seoul has threatened to boycott the Tokyo Olympic Games over an ongoing territorial dispute. South Korea filed a complaint after the release of a map marking remote islands between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

Washington says it is in talks with its allies about how to approach the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Human rights groups and some US lawmakers have been urging a boycott.

Top American athletes are boycotting games and tournaments because of the constant shootings of African Americans by police. NBA teams - Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, Blazers, Rockets, Thunders - all boycotted Game 5 of the playoff series.

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