Austria

The bidding process for the right to stage the 2004 European soccer championship moves up a gear this week when UEFA inspectors go to Spain - the first visit to one of the bidding nations.

The disgraced Salt Lake City Winter Olympics has had a boost after a key sponsor that had delayed a payment said it was reassured appropriate actions were being taken to clean up the scandal.

The Winter sports federations will take drug testing into their own hands and will demand a say in the selection of future venues for Winter Olympic Games, skiing's top official has said.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has strongly denied corruption claims of a cash-for-votes scandal made in a sensational new book.

Six European cities desperate for their two weeks in the world spotlight will pledge their undying loyalty to the Olympic movement next week as the contest to host the 2006 Winter Games reaches its climax.

Turin officials have identified Swiss rivals Sion as potential winners when the IOC votes this Saturday to decide the venue for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Turin have beaten the Swiss favourites Sion to host the 2006 Winter Games in the first selection of a host city since the Salt Lake City bribery scandal.

European athletics chiefs have agreed to stage a new indoor European Cup in 2001, an athletics source said recently.

Action Sports International, a multi-dimensional company that manufactures, distributes and licenses Generation X and Y products have signed a distribution agreement with Trans National Sports one of the largest Eastern European distributors of sporting goods and apparel.

European soccer governing body UEFA says it will announce the winner of the bid to host the 2004 European Championships in October.

Lisbon is expected to launch its second bid this year to host a major sports event.

International television rights company CSI Ltd has recently acquired the exclusive television rights for home matches of the English football clubs in the UEFA Cup and the European Pro Beach Soccer League.

World Cup Skateboarding (WCS), the world skateboarding sanctioning body and tour organiser, has appointed action-sport marketing agency IMS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sportsworld Media Group plc to manage its commercial interests globally.

Nestling in vineyards on the outskirts of Vienna, the tiny village of Seebarn is an unlikely place to host a cricket tournament - especially one involving Finland and Croatia. For more on this story see the FEATURES section of sportbusiness.com.

The Nordic Golf Federation is to launch a campaign to have golf included in the 2008 Olympic Games.

When Austria was chosen as the venue for this year's beach volleyball world championships there was just one hitch - the landlocked Alpine nation has no beaches.For more on this see FEATURES section of sportbusiness.com.