China

The Indian government says it will ban smoking in public places and the sponsorship of sporting events by tobacco firms in a bid to lower cigarette-related deaths.

Soccer's world governing body FIFA said on Sunday it was open to the idea of sponsors names on national team shirts but insisted they would not be allowed at the 2002 World Cup. FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the association's executive had discussed the idea at an end-of-year meeting in Rome but wanted to examine it further before making a decision.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will visit Beijing in February next year ahead of the vote in July to decide the host city of the 2008 Games, a Chinese Olympic bid official said on Tuesday.

ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has promoted Vib Sharma to senior vice president, advertising and integrated sales.

Sydney Olympics minister Michael Knight has said that Beijing has a strong bid for the 2008 games and Australia would be willing to help if China won.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin has met with Special Olympics International (SOI) president Sargent Shriver in Beijing.

The China rally will be included in the world championship next season, International Automobile Federation (FIA) according president Max Mosley.

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has said he hoped an International Olympic Committee initiative to host sports ties between North and South Korea would eventually lead to joint Korean teams for international competitions.

Leading Olympic official Marc Hodler said he had gone public with his allegations that agents tried to rig votes on the hosting of Games because he did not want Salt Lake City to be seen as "villains".

U.S. agents have arrested three Taiwanese and a U.S. citizen on charges of smuggling millions of dollars worth of counterfeit golf equipment into the United States, the U.S. Customs Service has said.

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

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has bought up all the outdoor advertising space in Beijing ahead of the Olympic Games which will be held there in 2008 in an attempt to limit the commercialisation of the event.

China plans to launch a special lottery to help finance the 2008 Summer Olympics.

TVB, the free-to-air Hong Kong-based broadcaster, has gained the rights to the UEFA Cup and the European Super Cup for the next three years.

France's world-beating soccer team will come out on Tuesday in support of Paris's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

British Olympic chiefs will meet government ministers today to decide whether London can launch a bid to bring the Olympic Games back to Britain for the first time since 1948.