JAPANESE BASEBALL IN DANGER OF STRIKING OUT?
Japanese professional baseball, once the nation's favourite sport, may be in for hard times ahead as more of its top players move to the U.S. major league and soccer becomes increasingly popular at home.
PARIS DROPS GRAND PALAIS GYMNASTICS PLANS
Paris officials have abandoned plans to hold the gymnastics in the historic Grand Palais if they win their bid to host the 2008 Olympics.
EU LEADERS TO RECOGNISE SPORT’S "SPECIAL STATUS?
European Union leaders are ready this week to recognise that sport enjoys a special status in the bloc, but will fall short of granting it any exceptions from EU law.
IOC CONSIDERS WEBCASTS FOR SMALL SPORTS
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it was considering allowing Internet companies to broadcast small sports on the Web.
EU UNLIKELY TO PROBE KIRCH BUY INTO EM.TV
German media giant Kirch's acquisition of a stake in EM.TV is unlikely to fall under a European Commission merger review, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
CHINA TOUTS INFRASTRUCTURE BUILD-UP FOR GAMES BID
China's capital Beijing has spent billions of dollars this year widening and extending roads to pave the way for its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, the Xinhua news agency has reported.
SPORTAL AND PSN FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
Sportal, the European based provider of interactive sports content, has secured a strategic alliance with PSN Multimedia International.
ADDED SPICE FOR ENGLISH RUGBY
England?s Rugby Football Union has announced the appointment of Chris Spice as its performance director.
IOC NEW MEDIA CONFERENCE: DAY 2, FINAL SESSION ? THE GLOBAL REACH OF THE ONLINE WORLD
Websites have already established themselves as the fundamental means of communication for sports teams beyond their national boundaries, disintermediating the need for broadcasters, according to evidence presented by speakers at the IOC New Media Conference in Lausanne.
IOC NEW MEDIA CONFERENCE: POST-EVENT PRESS CONFERENCE
The International Olympic Committee added another condition for the next round of broadcast bidders looking to deliver the Olympic Games after 2008, but the requirement to take account of the importance of the internet and new media in their bids will have many reaching for their crystal balls.