Europe

Australian quarantine officials said on Wednesday they were on full alert for the arrival of thousands of British and Irish rugby union fans who could carry foot-and-mouth disease into Australia.

Australian broadcaster Seven Network has defended its decision to only show delayed coverage of the first two-hour sessions of this summer’s Ashes contests between England and Australia, stating that it could not justify screening the cricket in an early evening timeslot.

Australian spinner Shane Warne has ended his high profile association with Nike and signed a cricket boot deal worth more than US$500,000 with European company Mitre.

Coca Cola has signed Britain's biggest sports TV sponsorship deal ever with an agreement to promote Premier League soccer on UK commercial TV station ITV.

Sepp Blatter, president of soccer’s world governing body FIFA, played down the chances of North Korea hosting any matches in next year's World Cup finals, but said he would still probably visit the country later this year.

UK broadband entertainment specialists Sportev have appointed Media Action Sports (MAS) as their exclusive representative in Spain.

The Kirch Group has confirmed its intention to merge Kirch Media with the listed broadcast company ProSiebenSAT.1.

England's footballers may insist that Wembley Stadium is no longer needed, but Patrick Carter, the businessman called in by the government, believes the old site is still the best option for a new national stadium.

UEFA president Lennart Johansson is to stand for a fourth term as president of European soccer’s governing body, as the war of words between UEFA and FIFA seems to have reached a cease fire.

Cricket fans will be able to listen to live commentary on the internet for the current one-day international cricket series involving England, Pakistan and Australia.

The Giro d’Italia cycling tour was marred by a new doping scandal yesterday after two competitors were pulled from the race after failing drug tests.

Turkey's Olympic chief looks disdainfully upon the report that may crush Istanbul's bid to host the 2008 Olympics.

The future of the Olympic Games looks set to pass into the hands of a Belgian surgeon-cum-yachtsman who has earned a reputation for a calm touch in a storm.

The biggest names from last year's Sydney Olympics are back in Australia for the Goodwill Games with the event's organisers hoping Maurice Greene, Marion Jones and Ian Thorpe can save the event from oblivion.

Could new TV deals make euro soccer a circus? James Swanwick went to Brussels to find out The European Union’s competition authorities may go ahead with a major shake-up in the way big sporting events can be marketed to television despite warnings by members of the European Parliament, MEPs and sports officials that a legal challenge over the sale of TV rights could have implications as wide as the Bosman ruling, which the soccer players’ transfer market into disarray.

England's top rugby union players, clubs and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) "are all going to live and die together", the RFU's chief executive Francis Baron said at Twickenham today when he outlined the terms of a new eight-year agreement for the sport.