Germany

Organisers of the 2005 world athletics championships said on Thursday they are not concerned that London mayor Ken Livingstone has refused to sign a contract with the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF).

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder urged the Kirch Group on Wednesday to resume talks with public broadcasters to ensure that the 2002 and 2006 soccer World Cups can be seen on free television in Germany.

Data-storage systems maker EMC Corp. has struck a sponsorship deal with Toyota Motor Corp.'s Formula One racing team in a bid to take the international storage market's checkered flag.

France's world-beating soccer team will come out on Tuesday in support of Paris's bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

Munich's Olympic stadium has witnessed some of the finest hours in Germany's rich footballing history but is unlikely to play any part in the 2006 World Cup finals.

German media group Kirch said on Saturday it had received bank guarantees of around $1.5 billion that will enable it and debt-laden partner EM.TV & Merchandising to increase their stake in Formula One holding SLEC.

Kirch managing director Dieter Hahn has blamed German public broadcaster ARD for the failure to agree terms on World Cup 2002 and 2006 broadcast rights.

The opening leg of the UIM Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, will be used as a benchmark for other venues of the 14-round UIM world championship

Germany's main state television channels ARD and ZDF said they had pulled out of talks with media group Kirch over the broadcasting rights for the next two soccer World Cups.

Martina Hingis and Mary Pierce did not exactly blaze a trail for feminism when they played in the first women's tennis tournament in the Gulf region this week. But they were part of a quiet revolution taking place in the area.

The English Football Association has unveiled plans for the nation?s first National Football Centre, inspired by the French Academy at Clairefontaine, near Paris.

German media group EM.TV has gone a long way to guaranteeing its future by signing a rescue agreement with its privately owned rival Kirch.

The International Cricket Council has approved South Africa?s proposals for the format of the 2003 World Cup.

Bridon International, the UK-based steel wire and structural strand manufacturer, has secured a contract to supply cables for the major re-development of Lokomotiv Moscow's stadium in Russia.

A possible rescue attempt by Kirch of cash-strapped Germany media group EM.TV seems closer after EM.TV management seemed to resolve their differences.

The EURO 2000 football championships were watched by a cumulative audience of seven billion people, a new survey reveals.