China

State-run national broadcaster, China Central Television, agreed partnerships with social networking site MySpace China and online-video site Tudou.com to run an interactive website for the Beijing Olympics.

US President George W Bush has said that he will attend the Beijing 2008 Olympics as a political row over China’s role in the Sudan continues to impact on Beijing's preparations for the Summer Olympics.

Event ticketing solutions company Tickets.com and China Sports Industry International agreed a joint-venture to provide ticketing and ticketing-related services for sports and associated markets in China.

Infront, the exclusive commercial partner to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and internet operator KongZhong Corporation, have signed a multi-year cooperation agreement and launched the official CBA mobile website.

UEFA finalised four major contracts for media rights in China and Japan for UEFA EURO 2008™ in Austria and Switzerland this summer.

The opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing this year could become the first sporting event to attract a record total live audience of one billion, according to a report by global media communications agency Initiative Sports Futures.

The International Olympic Committee awarded the digital broadcast rights for the 2008 Beijing Olympics to CCTV.com, the online arm of Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Lenovo Group, said it will not renew its sponsorship contract with the International Olympic Committee after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Samsung Electronics said it has signed a sponsorship deal with the Chinese government to provide technical support for mobile communications during next year’s Paralympics.

CCTV, the Chinese state-broadcaster, will bring in 80 billion yuan ($10.7 billion) worth of advertising for 2008, when it hosts the Olympic Games.

Sohu.com and PremierGoals Ltd., the official Chinese content provider for English football, launched a Chinese-language website for 16 English football clubs, on a new Chinese football community site.

ASK-TongFang has been selected to manufacture the contactless inlays for the 12.2 million RFID tickets for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Sportfive and IEC in Sports launched the Transorientale, a 10,000 kilometre, 17-day rally.

Italian broadcast group Mediaset has reportedly reached a three-year agreement with the CGM Sport Channel.

The AST (Action Sports Tour) has launched it international expansion effort with the creation of an AST China event, a global skateboarding competition scheduled for Beijing in April 2008.

Environmental groups, like Greenpeace and the WWF, have made presentations to the seventh World Conference on Sport and the Environment in Beijing, China.