Europe

South African terrestrial channel e.tv has secured the exclusive TV rights to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Rage Software, the computer games company, said it hoped that a new David Beckham soccer game will boost sales this Christmas. The company said pre-tax losses for the year ending June 30 widened to £17million ($24.6m/B

Spanish soccer side Atletico Madrid is aiming to break its previous season ticket sales figure as it approaches the start of the season.

Media group Kirch has given into increasing protests and agreed to change its scheduling of the soccer highlights programme to the German Bundesliga after ratings for the show dropped remarkably in its newly allotted later time slot.

Scottish Premier League soccer champions Celtic has struck a deal with online broadcasting specialist Servecast

Boxing fans will have to wait until October to see former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a boxing ring, despite a previous announcement this week stating that the renowned boxer would fight in September.

The World Anti-Doping Agency will locate its permanent headquarters in Montreal, with the aim of improving the credibility and effectiveness of its war on the use of drugs in sports.

Shares in London Stock Market-listed Sportech Plc, owners of betting and gaming firm Littlewoods Leisure, rose yesterday as it announced a deal for Littlewoods to be the exclusive sponsor of ITV's interactive football coverage.

The organisers of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games have given the Greek national Olympic body, the Hellenic Olympic Committee $3million (B

The popularity of the FA Cup is expected to be revived after the Football Association announced plans to play all four FA Cup quarter-finals on the same day.

The former president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Juan Antonio Samaranch, is due to be released from a Spanish hospital later this week.

Unilever – which includes amongst its brands Flora, long-time sponsor of the London Marathon - has appointed the sponsorship strategy consultancy Redmandarin to lead the development of best practice sponsorship guidelines for use by all its regions and brands worldwide.

The government reviews of England’s beleaguered Wembley Stadium and the national athletics stadium at Picketts Lock, both being assessed by former Prison Service director Patrick Carter, will not be available until this Friday and next week respectively.

UK broadband entertainment specialists Sportev said that 36 percent of those who visited its interactive video service paid to watch England beat Australia in the fourth Ashes Test at Headingley on Monday on its pay-per-view (PPV) highlights service.

FIFA President Sebb Blatter has opened a new headquarter in Croatia for the Croatian Football Association.

Canadian marketing company Galaxy Sports has acquired an exclusive license from Umbro Worldwide to sell, market and distribute Umbro branded products to retailers in the United States in a five years deal starting January 1 2002.