China

Visions of beach volleyball or memories of burning bodies on Tiananmen Square? Bizarre as they may sound, these images could make or break Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games. See the FEATURES section of sportbusiness.com for the full story.

Some 28 Chinese democracy activists have urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to press Beijing, which is bidding to host the 2008 Olympic Games, to free jailed dissidents.

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.

Beijing, the current favourite to stage the 2008 Olympic Games, has earmarked $17.8 billion to tackle traffic congestion and pollution ahead of next year's decision.

Olympic fever is hotting up in Beijing, with posters plastered around subway stations, advertisements in national newspapers and passionate pledges of support in state media by everyone from taxi drivers to government leaders, but it is not Sydney they are getting worked up about, this interest is triggered by Beijing?s bid to host the 2008 Games. See the `FEATURES? section of SportBusiness.com for the full story.

All ten cities hoping to stage the 2008 summer Olympics met yesterday?s deadline for replying to an international Olympic Committee questionnaire.

SportsLine.com and its majority-owned European subsidiary Sports.com, intend to form an Internet joint venture with Asiacontent.com, a leading developer of Asian Internet content, advertising and e-commerce services.

Sydney Olympic organisers have conjured up an extra half-million tickets to the 2000 Games to defuse a public outcry over a ticketing policy that has left the Australian public scrambling for seats.

Several German politicians have levelled harsh criticism at ex-world champion Michael Schumacher over his crash with David Coulthard at the Belgian Grand Prix a week ago.

Olympic boss Juan Antonio Samaranch has lavished praise on Thailand's much-maligned organisers of the 13th Asian Games, describing Sunday's opening ceremony as one of the best he had ever seen.

Sydney Lord Mayor Frank Sartor has said there was no need for the International Olympic Committee to investigate the city's bid for the 2000 Games but believed there should be greater scrutiny of the IOC itself.

A sell-out crowd and record viewing figures have all but been ensured by the presence of the US team in next Saturday's Women's World Cup Final at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

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.

Encouraged by the success of communist Beijing being awarded the 2008 Olympics, Cuba has announced its intention to bid for the 2012 event.

Boxing heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman will defend his titles in August in Beijing, his promoter has confirmed.

IOC delegates have heaped praise on Toronto's plans to stage the 2008 Olympics, saying they were impressed with the city's athlete-oriented focus and dismissed detractors who sought to cast a pall on Toronto's squeaky-clean reputation.