China

A delegation of Chinese sports officials and businessmen have met with Goodwill Games organisers in Brisbane to learn how to better run their preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The IOC will not monitor China's human rights record or relations with rival Taiwan in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games, the body's president Jacques Rogge has said. For the full story see the FEATURES section of sportbusiness.com.

Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson, who claims that a back injury forced him to pull out of his September 8 fight against Denmark?s Brian Nielson, is thought to be in talks with Don King about a new partnership.

A Chinese-led consortium has won the contract to build a new stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam, as the venue for the 2003 Southeast Asia Games.

China?s growing basketball fervour turned to fury in Beijing over the weekend when police blocked an appearance by American NBA player Kobe Bryant after a large crowd turned out to see him.

The Thailand Football Association has written to FIFA to request a change of venue for their Asian World Cup qualifying match scheduled for Baghdad on Friday, a Thai official said on Tuesday.

US sports broadcaster ESPN is launching an Asian version of its flagship news show SportsCenter on its network in the region, ESPN Star Sports (ESS).

Sports rankings company Footballranking.com has formed a strategic alliance with China-based Footballcircle.com.

The Japanese unit of global communications company Pacific Century CyberWorks (PCCW) is to form a joint venture with Japan's largest entertainment television content firm Yoshimoto Kogyo Co Ltd. to develop sports and entertainment content.

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.

New York's international network, many hotels and plans to build new sports arenas amounted to a strong bid to stage the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, a United States Olympic Committee (USOC) panel said.

Tom.com, the media and advertising company controlled by Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-Shing, has won the broadcast and advertising rights to China?s national basketball league, adding to its portfolio of Chinese volleyball, table tennis, rowing and college soccer rights.

A man is suing Sydney's Olympic Games organisers for more than A$19m ($9.6m/?11m) claiming they breached their contract allowing him to sell memberships to an Olympic loyalty programme.

World record-breaking pole vaulter Sergei Bubka is set to clear another new height this week in his rapid rise up the ranks of world sport's administration.

The delay of the WBA heavyweight title fight between John Ruiz and Evander Holyfield was a "blessing in disguise" for Chinese organisers facing heavy losses on the event, promoter Don King said.

The Chinese government will welcome bids from international investors to take part in the design, construction and operation of competition venues for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing via a public bidding process.