As World Cup qualifiers take place ahead of Qatar 2022, one nation never even had a chance to make the field.
The big picture: The Marshall Islands — perhaps best known as a post-war nuclear testing site — is the lone country among the 195 recognized by the UN that has never played an international soccer match.
The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday announced a new framework for transgender athletes, as well as those born with intersex conditions that foregoes a "one-size-fits-all" approach in favor of encouraging each sport's governing body to come up with appropriate policies.
Why it matters: The first openly transgender athletes competed in the Tokyo Olympics, 17 years after the IOC first set rules allowing for participation, while several female athletes saw themselves excluded from the Olympic Games on the basis of their natural testosterone levels.
Companies that do business in China — especially Olympics sponsors — are concerned Beijing will use the 2022 Winter Games as a loyalty test.
Why it matters: China's leaders have become adept at silencing criticism from U.S. companies that might otherwise condemn the country's human rights record — and the Chinese government has been able to host prestigious global events like the Olympics while committing rights violations with impunity.
So you want to own a sports team? Now's your chance.
Driving the news: The Packers — the only publicly-owned, not-for-profit major professional sports team in the U.S. — are selling shares of "stock" for just the sixth time in the franchise's 102-year history.