Vladimir Putin, rugged outdoorsman and tough-guy Russian president, promoted a cuddly image Tuesday as his Olympics drew near.

Putin checked in at a preserve for endangered Persian leopards and visited a group of cubs born last summer in the mountains above the growing torrent of activity in Sochi for the Winter Games.

The United States will play Turkey in the group stage of this summer's World Cup of Basketball in a rematch of the 2010 final.

The rest of the opposition in Group C looks a lot easier, with the Americans also drawn on Monday to play the Dominican Republic, Finland, New Zealand and Ukraine.

Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant strengthened his claim to the MVP crown by leading the Thunder to an 86-77 win over Memphis on Monday, extending their home winning streak to seven games.

The Thunder also boosted their lead in the Northwest Division to four games as nearest rival Portland lost at Washington. Among other games, Denver beat the Los Angeles Clippers thanks to a Randy Foye 3-pointer on the buzzer, and San Antonio rallied from a big deficit and overran New Orleans.

To say Anita DeFrantz has waited 34 years for this moment would not be an exaggeration.

The American rower missed out on the 1980 Moscow Olympics because of the U.S. boycott. She led a passionate — though fruitless — campaign against President Jimmy Carter's decision to snub the games following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Chelsea delivered a potent mix of defensive resilience and effective counter-attacking in a 1-0 victory over Manchester City on Monday, neutralizing the Premier League's most rampant attack to provide a new twist in the title race.

Branislav Ivanovic lashed home a fierce 25-yard shot in the 31st minute to end City's 100 percent winning record at home in the league and earn Chelsea the double over most pundits' favorites for the title. The visitors could have won by more, hitting the goal frame three times and threatening almost every occasion they broke forward.

Wladimir Klitschko knows he has an image problem with fans in the United States, who for the most part pay the heavyweight champion little attention.

He wants to change that, though not at the expense of his decade-long winning streak or his collection of heavyweight titles.

Barcelona has unveiled plans for its 420-million-euro ($565 million) Camp Nou redesign, which will increase the stadium's capacity to 105,053 and transform the infrastructure around it.

The Spanish champion's games will be unaffected when work begins in 2017, lasting until 2021.

The manager of Olympic swimming great Ian Thorpe said that the five-time gold medalist is in rehab after being found disoriented on a Sydney street early Monday morning by police responding to a call from residents.

James Erskine told the Australian Associated Press that Thorpe was affected by a combination of antidepressants and the painkillers he was taking for a shoulder injury.

In two or 10, or even 20 years' time a visitor to South Africa might turn to a football fan and ask: "So, what did that 2010 World Cup do for you?"

The South African, with vuvuzela (remember them?) gripped proudly in one hand, could cite increased investment in the country. He or she could maybe say there are more tourists coming than ever before. And, with a satisfied blast on the vuvuzela point out that South Africa has the best stadiums in Africa. "Look at our Soccer City and our Cape Town Stadium."

The Seattle Seahawks' mantra all season was to make each day a championship day.

They made Super Bowl Sunday the best day of all with one of the greatest performances in an NFL title game — sparked by a defense that ranks among the best ever.