China

Formula One's season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain could be called off due to worrying instability in the country, according to the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Yingli Green Energy, the company that became the first ‘green’ sponsor of the FIFA World Cup last year, has expanded its influence in football by signing up as an official premium partner of Bayern Munich.

Barclays Spaces for Sports, in partnership with Right To Play, is to deliver a three-year programme using sport to improve the prospects for disadvantaged migrant children in China.

This year’s Asian Games, which came to an end on Saturday with the Closing Ceremony at Haixinsha Square in Guangzhou, China, has raised a record three billion yuan ($454 million) in sponsorship.

The Bird’s Nest stadium is again set to turn into a stage for the best track and field athletes in the planet as Beijing has been given hosting rights for the 2015 Athletics World Championships.

US golfer Tiger Woods is weighing up sponsorship offers from Chinese companies to make up for a series of sponsor dropouts following his marital infidelity scandal.

The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile), motor sport’s governing body, ratified a record 20-race 2011 calendar yesterday but doubts linger over the included Chinese and Indian grands prix

A Chinese bid to host the FIFA World Cup is likely to be delayed by at least four to eight years beyond the mooted date of 2026, according to Mohammed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation.

Leading global sportswear brand Nike has risen to the highest since it went public in 1980, posting $559 million in net profits for the quarter to August, a nine-per-cent increase on the same period last year.

Taiwan's Yani Tseng, the fourth-ranked woman golfer in the world, has refused a $25 million endorsement with the condition to change her nationality to Chinese, according to the China Post.

The OneAsia golf tour has excluded the Shandong Gold Cup tournament from its 2010 calendar and postponed it until further notice.

US-based mixed martial arts company Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has appointed Mark Fischer as its new executive vice president and managing director for Asia.

Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile, a joint-venture between French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen and China's Dongfeng Motor Corp, has signed a three-year deal to sponsor China’s national badminton team to promote Citroen C5 cars.

The National Basketball Association and Shanghai Film Group, the largest movie company in China, yesterday announced a partnership to produce the first NBA-themed motion picture outside of North America.

Both economies are booming - but China certainly seems to have the edge over India when it comes to preparing mega-events. While India is struggling to get itself ready for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, 2010 Asian Games host city Guangzhou has already handed over 67 out of 70 of its practice and competitive venues to organisers - even though the event doesn't take place until November.

Shao Wenzhong, the head of the commercial arm of China's football association, has been detained by police as part of a widening investigation into match fixing, state media reported yesterday.

Pan-Asian sports broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports yesterday announced the appointment of Wenjia Fang, formerly with mobile phone producer Nokia-China, as Managing Director and Chief Representative of its China office.

Organisers of this November's Asian Games in Guangzhou have raised more than $443 million (three billion yuan) in sponsorship, offsetting almost a third of the 10 billion yuan core costs of hosting the event.