TOP STORY:
SOC--ENGLISH ROUNDUP
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United and Chelsea couldn?t afford any slip-ups if they were to have even the slightest chance of catching Manchester City in the final months of the Premier League. By Steve Douglas. SENT: 707 words, photos.
NEW/DEVELOPING:
SOC--EUROPE-TRANSFERS
The Premier League had already spent a record amount in the January transfer window before the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea added to their squads on the final day. By Rob Harris. UPCOMING: 700 words by 0100 GMT, photos.
CAR--F1-WOMEN ON GRID
PARIS — There will be no more "grid girls" before Formula One races and no more "podium girls" celebrating with the drivers after them. By Jerome Pugmire. SENT: 387 words, photos.
GYM--DOCTOR-SEXUAL ASSAULT
CHARLOTTE, Michigan — Another wave of victims confronted Larry Nassar on Wednesday, this time about sexual abuse at an elite Michigan gymnastics club where young athletes felt they had to use the disgraced doctor's services and could not question the adults who ran the facility. By David Eggert. SENT: 868 words, photos, video.
OLY--RUSSIAN DOPING-PUTIN
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the country's athletes to forget about doping scandals when they compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics. SENT: 387 words, photos.
FOOTBALL:
SOC--SPANISH ROUNDUP
MADRID — Leganes boosted its chances of reaching the Copa del Rey final for the first time by salvaging a 1-1 draw against Sevilla on Wednesday, netting the equalizer after a mistake by Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico. By Tales Azzoni. SENT: 164 words, photos.
SOC--ITALIAN ROUNDUP
MILAN — AC Milan drew 0-0 at home to Lazio in the first leg of their Italian Cup semifinal on Wednesday and could be left counting the cost of an embarrassing miss by Hakan Calhanoglu. SENT: 322 words, photos.
SOC--FRENCH ROUNDUP
PARIS — First-half goals from Radamel Falcao sent Monaco back into the League Cup final after a 2-0 home win against Montpellier on Wednesday. SENT: 297 words, photos.
SOC--GERMANY TRANSFERS
BERLIN — Borussia Dortmund dominated the end of the transfer window in Germany with a flurry of activity that saw star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave and Michy Batshuayi take his place on Wednesday. By Ciaran Fahey. SENT: 698 words, photos.
SOC--ITALY-TRANSFERS
MILAN — Roma was the only one of the top-five Serie A clubs to make a major signing as the Italian transfer window closed on Wednesday, with the capital club bringing in Argentina left back Jonathan Silva on loan from Sporting Lisbon. By Daniella Matar. SENT: 346 words, photos.
SOC--SPAIN-TRANSFERS
MADRID — Real Sociedad signed veteran Mexico defender Hector Moreno on a day without major transfers involving Spain's top clubs. By Tales Azzoni. SENT: 382 words, photos.
WINTER OLYMPICS:
OLY--LUG-GERMAN GREATNESS
There has never been a women's luge athlete who has won more World Cup medals than Natalie Geisenberger. Same goes for world championship medals, same goes for Olympic medals. Her resume is beyond compare. So she's the best ever to slide, right? "No," she says, adamantly. "I'm not the best." SENT: 801 words, photos.
TENNIS:
TEN--FED CUP-FRANCE
PARIS — Kristina Mladenovic, Pauline Parmentier and Amandine Hesse were named in France's Fed Cup team on Wednesday for the first-round match against Belgium. SENT: 267 words.
TEN--ST PETERSBURG LADIES TROPHY
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Petra Kvitova advanced to the second round of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy on Wednesday, and Caroline Garcia was eliminated. SENT: 82 words.
GOLF:
GLF--PHOENIX OPEN
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm will get the party started early Thursday in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. By John Nicholson. SENT: 752 words.
Other Stories:
— HKO--Kladno-Jagr. Jaromir Jagr signs contract with his Czech hometown club. SENT: 206 words.
YOUR QUERIES: Questions and story requests are welcome. Contact your local AP bureau or the AP International Sports Desk in London by telephone at +44 207 427 4224 or email lonsports@ap.org.