Australia
CHINESE FUME OVER CORRUPTION PROBE
A growing scandal over cash payments made by Australian sports officials to snag the 2000 Olympics has stirred anger in Beijing, which lost the bidding war to Sydney by a razor-thin margin.
SYDNEY SEEKS TO LIMIT GAMES FALLOUT
Australian officials have vowed to polish the tarnished image of the Olympics, seeking to convince sponsors and potential spectators that Sydney's successful bid for the 2000 Games was clean.
SYDNEY AND SALT LAKE CITY REASSURE SPONSORS
Sydney and Salt Lake City Olympic officials have sought to reassure potential sponsors and spectators that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was dealing effectively with the biggest scandal in its 104-year history.
SYDNEY IN CLEAR – SAYS MAYOR
Sydney Lord Mayor Frank Sartor has said there was no need for the International Olympic Committee to investigate the city's bid for the 2000 Games but believed there should be greater scrutiny of the IOC itself.
MCDONALDS BACK IOC
Fast food giant McDonald's has said it is pleased the International Olympic Committee responded quickly to address alleged corruption among its members and remains committed in its support of the Olympics.
CHINA DEMANDS OVERHAUL OF IOC
China demanded on Tuesday an overhaul of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the methods by which it selected Olympic host cities.
OCTAGON WITHDRAW FROM ATP PROJECT
Sports marketing company Octagon has pulled out of a joint venture with ISL to negotiate television and marketing rights for the ATP Tennis Tour to 2000.
FIA CONFIRM ARGENTINA OFF CALENDAR
The Argentine Grand Prix has been scrapped from the 1999 Formula One calendar, the InternationalAutomobile Federation (FIA) has announced.
TV PACKAGES SELLING WELL – DESPITE SCANDAL
The Seven Network in Australia has revealed it has sold half of the eight $14 million two-year Sydney Olympic telecast sponsorship packages on offer, with demand potentially outstripping supply.
TENNIS RULING BODY FACES HIGH COURT CHALLENGE
Petr Korda goes to London's High Court on Thursday in an attempt to prevent tennis's ruling body challenging his lenient punishment for a positive dope test.
OLYMPIC NEWS – `AROUND THE RINGS?Ed Hula, Editor
1.DIRTY TRICKS SURFACE IN IOC SCANDAL
2.KENYA'S MUKORA QUITS IOC
3.SAMARANCH DEFIANT, TOO
4.2006 WINTER OLYMPIC BIDDERS FACE CONFUSION, NEW RULES
5.2012 BIDS
6.HOT FILE
NAGANO ORGANISERS FACE LAWSUIT
A Nagano citizens' group says it has launched a lawsuit against the organisers of the 1998 Winter Olympics for misusing public money in their successful bid to host the Games.
NZ SCALE DOWN GAMES BID
New Zealand's capital Wellington has scaled down its bid for the 2006 Commonwealth Games after its backers decided they could not afford to match funding levels available to the only other applicant, Melbourne.
SYDNEY OLYMPIC BUILDING BOOM TO CONTINUE
The Sydney 2000 Olympics construction boom will continue in 1999, with the value of projects currently underway in the city worth more than A$2 billion, the New South Wales state government has said.
AUSSIE MINISTER IN SECRET SPONSOR MEETING
It has been revealed that an Australian Government Minister met last week with key sponsors of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, as alarm grew about the extent to which the event was being sullied by corruption allegations.
SYDNEY UNSURE ON MUKORA DEAL-PAPER
Australian Olympic officials do not know how Kenya used a US$10,000 payment aimed at securing the 2002 Games for Sydney, the Sydney Morning Herald has said.
SAMARANCH HITS OUT AT MEDIA CRITICS
Olympics boss Juan Antonio Samaranch has launched a scathing attack against media critics who have called for him to quit over the Salt Lake City corruption scandal.
NAGANO BID SCANDAL FANNED BY NEW REPORT
A scandal over Japan's successful bid for the 1998 Winter Olympics has flared up again when a major newspaper reported hard evidence had been found that Nagano spent millions of dollars on lavish entertainment as part of its bidding campaign.