China

Many of snooker?s top stars look set to join a breakaway tour which threatens to split the sport and end the domination of the game by its governing body, the WSA, following plans announced by The Sportsmasters Network (TSN).

Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon on Tuesday urged European officials not to drag their feet over new rules governing player transfers because uncertainty threatened to damage the game.

Paris officials have abandoned plans to hold the gymnastics in the historic Grand Palais if they win their bid to host the 2008 Olympics.

China's capital Beijing has spent billions of dollars this year widening and extending roads to pave the way for its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, the Xinhua news agency has reported.

China will be too busy pursuing its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games over the next few months and will likely leave Taiwan alone, Taiwan's Vice President Annette Lu said on Tuesday.

Beijing has started radio English lessons to get its citizens up to speed in the race for the 2008 Olympic Games, according to local reports.

Beijing has decided to bring its public toilets up to Olympic gold standards in its pursuit of the 2008 Games, the China Daily said on Monday.

Fast Track, the sports consultancy founded by Alan Pascoe, has won its first major international consultancy contract.

Chairman Mao Zedong will share the spotlight with beach volleyball if the 2008 Olympics come to Beijing.

China is contemplating throwing Tiananmen Square - mostly known to the outside world for the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators - into its 2008 Olympic bid as the venue for beach volleyball.

China Mobile Communications, China's largest mobile communications operator, has announced that customers who use the company's WAP phones will be charged beginning December.

Telstra Corp Ltd, Australia's dominant telecommunications group, wants to capitalize on its success in wiring the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games by penetrating the world's biggest potential market, China.

BMCMedia has been appointed by the Walt Disney Internet Group to represent football web site Soccernet, in all major markets in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Peoples Republic of China, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and New Zealand.

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.

Germany is considering bidding for the Olympic Games and will unveil details of its plans next week, the German Olympic Committee (NOK) has said.

FIFA have declared that the 2003 Women's World Cup will be held in China.