Australia

Olympic plans for a new worldwide drug testing agency take the battle against doping forwards but are unlikely to stop some athletes from using banned substances.

Timex have re-signed a sponsorship deal for the London Triathlon.

The Commonwealth Games organising committee has said that Australian team boss Perry Crosswhite had denied questioning Malaysia's ability to manage the games next month.

Australian Olympic chiefs have said that people caught making, importing or trafficking "hard" sports drugs should face the same penalties as for narcotics - meaning steroid dealers could face life imprisonment.

Security operations for the Sydney 2000 Olympics have been "sharpened" in response to the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa, the Sydney Olympic security commander has said.

The average price of middle-range Games tickets is expected to hit about AUS$100 in the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games ticketing package, to be released in Sydney today.

The sporting clothes and footwear manufacturer, Nike, has been subjected to protests in Australia.

MCC, the world's most famous cricket club, is to vote again on whether to allow women members for the first time in its 211-year history.

Sukom Ninety Eight Berhad (Sukom) will seek clarification from Australia over a remark made by one of its top officials that Malaysia is ill-prepared for the 16th Commonwealth Games next month.

Money spent on facilities for the 16th Commonwealth Games is not a waste especially when they will also be used for future events, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said.

The naming deal for Sydney's Olympic Stadium is expected to be worth more than $A30m.

Drivers have got lost and some buses have simply not turned up, but team officials have said the biggest teething problem of the 16th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur - transport - is getting better.

Seven Network Ltd has said that it had secured subscription television rights to cricket in Australia.

The National Rugby League (NRL) has agreed to stage its showcase matches at the Sydney Olympic Stadium from 1999, Stadium Australia Group has announced.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has denied accusations that he chose October 3 as the date for a general election in order to cash in on a welter of sports events expected to divert the sports-mad nation's attention.

Australia today enters the final two years of preparations for the Sydney 2000 Olympics with the construction of venues on target but with officials admitting to some nerves as the great event draws near.