Balkans
Business

Weightlifting's world governing body has said there was no question of Bulgaria's disgraced lifting team paying a $50,000 fine to gain readmission to the Olympic Games.

International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch will return to the Sydney Games today after attending a funeral service in Barcelona for his wife Maria Teresa Salisachs.

Moldovan side Constructorul-93 Chisinau have been banned from European club competitions for one year and had player Iurii Mirza banned for two years following last month's tie against CSKA Sofia.
Media

UEFA has ordered the Moldova soccer federation (MSF) to close down the main stadium in the capital of the tiny, impoverished ex-Soviet republic for safety reasons.
Media

The Extreme Group and UPCtv is to make joint venture the Extreme Sports Channel available in Romania and Bulgaria adding a total of potential 120,000 subscribers to its reach.
Events

NHL International, in conjunction with ESPN International, will distribute the 2000 NHL
Events

News Corp and Liberty Media has announced that its joint venture Fox Sports International is to launch a sports television channel targeting viewers in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.
Media

Canadian broadcaster TSN says first round World Cup matches have produced outstanding ratings.
Business

In a rare show of European unity, French Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn joked that France and the Netherlands should share the World Cup, predicting their soccer teams would meet in the July 12 final.
Events

Sunday night's World Cup final between France and Brazil set a new television audience record in host country France with an average of 23.626 million people watching, a spokesman for audience measurement body Mediametrie said on Monday.
Business

TF1, France's biggest private terrestrial television station, had receipts of 52 million francs for advertising it carried during the World Cup final on Sunday, an advertising executive at the station said.

The World Cup failed to boost advertising revenue for Britain?s ITV network which saw June figures fall some #8 million ($12m).
Business

Germany's disastrous showing at soccer?s World Cup finals has not dampened the enthusiasm of fans, who have bought more tickets than ever for the Bundesliga season starting this weekend.

Scotland?s Champions League representatives Celtic are embroiled in a cash battle ahead of tonight?s vital qualifier.
Events

Franz Beckenbauer has been elected vice-president of the German Soccer Federation (DFB) and has immediately pressed for reforms.

Events

Inspired by the ground breaking success of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup in
Business

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has been fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($32,000) for not playing their European championship qualifier against Yugoslavia on June 5.

FIFA President Sebb Blatter has opened a new headquarter in Croatia for the Croatian Football Association.