Australia

The Australian Olympic Committee members may be getting big pay rises this year to reward them for the ?best ever Olympic games?, but Stadium Australia Group, the builders of the A$690m ($351.7m) Aussie national stadium, has seen its share price tumble since the end of the games to A$0.10 ($0.05) from A$0.5 ($0.3).

Australia?s top Olympic Games chiefs have been rewarded with hefty pay rises for what was described as the ?best ever? Olympic games in Sydney in September.

Sportsworld Media, the sports marketing and television production company, has increased its foothold down under after buying Elite Sports Properties (ESP), an Australian athlete management company which represents about 20 Olympic and Commonwealth champions, as well as a number of leading Australian Football League players.

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said broadcasters would not have a say in where to base a fourth Super 12 team if a franchise gets approval this year.

The world?s largest media company AOL Time Warner is in talks with the UK?s largest cable company NTL about a distribution alliance for content over high-speed broadband networks.

Nasdaq-listed Quokka Sports, the company at the forefront of developments in online sports content, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States in preparation for an asset fire-sale.

GG Media has stepped up its bid to broadcast horseracing in the UK in competition with the Go Racing consortium, by launching an advertising campaign.

Bathurst has won out over Wagga Wagga as the venue for the return of Australian rugby league?s City versus Country match in June.

Global event hospitality company, Iluka UK, have re-signed sponsor Samsung for management of their Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic winter Games hospitality programme.

Greyhound racing will become the only spectator sport in British history to launch a generic television advertising campaign. Three months worth of adverts will appear on Sky from Saturday with the aim to encourage viewers to visit one of the country?s 32 greyhound tracks.

American athletes are to learn how to be more modest when they pick up medals at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002. The move comes after criticism of their flamboyant celebrations at the Sydney Olympics last summer.

Virtual imaging company Orad has won a sports Emmy for its role in NBC?s coverage of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

In an attempt to stamp out hooliganism among Rugby League fans in Australia, the New South Wales Police and the National Rugby League (NRL) have drawn up a plan to impose life bans on unruly fans.

The 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games received a boost with news that Australian Olympic champion Cathy Freeman is expected to return to full training in October in preparation for the event.

Australia has received part of an $80 million increase in sports funding to be used to encourage more people to take part in physical activity.

Craigie Taylor International (CTI), the public relations, sponsorship and consultancy company, has appointed Fred Scarlett, one of the members of the gold medal- winning British rowing team at the Sydney Olympics. Scarlett?s job role will include identifying and matching potential new clients and sponsors.