Australia

US-based online newspaper network Zwire!, a partner with ESPN and its SportsTicker service division, will be offering local advertisers an opportunity to advertise alongside their syndicated Olympic coverage during the upcoming Sydney Games.

Computer experts will work around the clock during the Sydney Olympics to keep out cyber hackers who might try to vandalise Games websites, even changing official results and the names of medal winners.

The Sydney Olympics has set off a boom in sales of hand-held and big screen television sets to allow people to watch events away from home.

Indian internet firm Satyam Infoway Ltd has said that its sports portal, www.khel.com, will be the official sponsor of India's contingent to next month's Sydney Olympics.

The Japanese Football Association (JFA) has invited FIFA president Sepp Blatter to Tokyo to discuss next year's Confederations Cup following an apology from world soccer's governing body over its proposal for the tournament.

With professional baseball players allowed for the first time, high soccer hopes and a friendly time zone, the Sydney Summer Olympics should be a winner in Japan, officials have said. For the full details see the `FEATURES? section of SportBusiness.com.

The naming rights to Sydney?s Olympic stadium have been sold to the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ).

A row has broken out in Australia over an embarrassing design on the medals for next month's Sydney Olympics which depict a Roman colosseum rather than a Greek temple.

NBC has moved to prevent any possible dilution of hits on its official Winter Games web site by merging its domain name with that of the organizers at Olympics.com, - currently the home page for next month's Sydney Games.

Organisers of this summer?s Olympic Games say they have identified no specific groups or nations posing a security threat to the event.

IOC vice-president Dick Pound has played down suggestions that athletes winning cash bonuses for success during the Olympic Games will be liable for tax in Australia.

Soccer Australia has appointed a new media and publicity co-ordinator.

Australia's world champion rugby team will stage a test match in Perth for each of the next five years under an agreement between the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and the Western Australian government.

Sydney Games organisers and Olympic officials have clashed over whether events should be delayed if transport problems stopped spectators reaching their seats on time.

The organisers of the Sydney Summer Games have already set one record, the largest media centre in Olympic history.

Organisers of the Sydney Olympic Games have received a poor report card for their running of the event, according to a major opinion poll.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Queensland-based sports event marketing firm Harte International have launched a new joint credit card venture aimed at golfers.

Britannica.com is supplying extensive digital content to the Sydney Organising Committee of the Olympics Games (SOCOG), for use on Olympics.com, the official site of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the company and SOCOG announced today.