Former basketball star Dennis Rodman arrived in Pyongyang Tuesday on a five-day visit amid speculation he may try to negotiate the release of jailed U.S. citizen Kenneth Bae, China's Xinhua news agency reported. In Beijing, the gateway for flights to Pyongyang, Rodman told Reuters he was on another "basketball diplomacy tour" and would not be discussing the release of Bae.

IOC inspectors are sure to deliver a clear message to organizers of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics when they arrive for a two-day visit: end delays and speed up. For their part, Rio officials are expected to promise that preparations are on course after a late start. Privately, they'll try to soothe concerns about a slowdown in landing local sponsorships, worries over hotel space and transportation and recent protests over big spending on major sports events.

Eleven years after a joint Washington-Baltimore bid to host the Summer Olympics was snubbed, a group based in the nation’s capital announced Tuesday its interest in trying again. This time, the initiative doesn’t formally include Baltimore, though preliminary plans call for staging events in Maryland’s largest city, as well as Northern Virginia and the District.

Expanding the Super Rugby competition to include countries such as Argentina and Japan will be discussed at a series of meetings next month. New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive, Steve Tew, has confirmed the prospect of expansion beyond Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and also new methods of broadcasting will be on the table when South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby (Sanzar) officials negotiate their model beyond 2016.

Madrid's 2020 Olympic bid committee says it has appointed Los Angeles Lakers star Pau Gasol to act as one of its spokesmen. In a statement issued Tuesday, the committee says Gasol, one of Spain's most well-known athletes and a two-time Olympic silver medalist, will address the International Olympic Committee during Madrid's final presentation in Buenos Aires next month.

Metal wheelchairs colliding, balls gliding, and players falling -- sounds like some hybrid between bumper cars and football. It’s wheelchair rugby. These players who served and sacrificed their limbs for their country now play with more intensity than the best professional athletes. They are wounded soldiers brought together by ArcAngeles, a non-governmental organization (NGO).

The head of the Olympic Public Authority (APO), Marcio Fortes, delivered his letter of resignation, raising concerns about Brazil’s handling of the preparations for the upcoming Games. The resignation of one of the most senior figures involved in planning of the 2016 Olympics comes just two weeks before a team of inspectors from the International Olympic Committee were scheduled to visit Rio.

Diplomacy is an essential part of foreign policy. The postwar period saw the rise of public diplomacy, which went beyond traditional diplomacy in that it tried to influence public opinion in other countries. It dealt with influencing public attitudes on the formation and execution of foreign policy as private individuals began to engage in intercultural communication. Organized cultural visits like performances by philharmonic orchestras became part of public diplomacy.