SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco appeared in court Thursday in the Dominican Republic in a sexual abuse case involving a teenage girl who testified behind closed doors.
Prosecutors also privately disclosed audio and video related to the girl as evidence during the trial that began earlier this week.
Franco’s attorneys have argued that the evidence submitted by prosecutors has been manipulated and distorted.
Little else was known about Thursday’s proceedings because the press was not allowed in the courtroom for most of them.
Franco, 24, faces charges of sexually abusing a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking. The girl was 14 years old.
He was having an All-Star season in 2023 before officials in the Dominican Republic began investigating allegations that he had been in relationship with a minor and had paid her mother some $17,000 for consent.
The girl’s mother was charged with money laundering and is under house arrest.
Franco, who was charged in July 2024 and is on supervised release, could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.
He is currently on Major League Baseball’s restricted list after initially being placed on administrative leave.
The trial is expected to continue on Friday.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco sits in court during his trial on charges of sexually abusing a minor, in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Hernandez)
BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Crans-Montana is set to host Alpine ski races at the 2038 Olympics as organizers of the Switzerland bid detailed their plan of venues Monday.
The Swiss Olympic body is the only candidate in talks with the International Olympic Committee to be awarded the Winter Games taking place in 12 years’ time. It would be the first Winter Games in Switzerland since the 1948 St. Moritz Olympics.
Crans-Montana is among established venues for World Cup races and competitions in winter sports that will be used in an Olympic project spread across the country, seeking to avoid taxpayer spending on construction.
The ski resort was the scene of a fatal bar fire on New Year’s Day that united Switzerland in national mourning.
Crans-Montana also will host the world championships in Alpine skiing next year, and World Cup races in three weeks’ time ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics that open Feb. 6. The resort was previously slated to be an Olympic host when nearby Sion was competing to get the 2026 edition eventually won by Italy.
Swiss Olympics officials on Monday confirmed their expected plan to use St. Moritz’s bobsled track in 2038, ski jumping at Engelberg and biathlon at Lenzerheide. Ice hockey would be played at stadiums in Zurich and Zug, with some games going to Lugano to include the country's Italian-speaking region.
Lausanne, the IOC’s home city, is preferred to host the opening ceremony, figure skating and short-track skating. The city was the hub of hosting the Youth Winter Games in 2020.
Geneva would stage speed skating and curling — using the Palexpo complex that has staged Davis Cup tennis and an annual equestrian jumping meeting — and be the base for international broadcasters.
Swiss capital Bern is slated for the closing ceremony and Lucerne as a hotels hub, Olympic bid officials said.
The IOC has not set a deadline to complete its talks with Swiss officials or make a final decision.
A Swiss bid was in contention for the 2030 Winter Games that was awarded to the French Alps and Nice on the eve of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Salt Lake City will be the hub of the Utah 2034 Winter Games, which also was confirmed in Paris.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
People light candles to express their compassion and solidarity to the victims of the deadly fire in a bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, during a vigil in Kocani, North Macedonia, on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)
