Greece

Winning the right to stage a major sporting event is no "poisoned chalice" despite the crippling costs involved, sports industry leaders heard on Thursday.

Elite Sports Properties, Australia’s leading sports marketing company, and China Sports Industries, responsible for the development of China’s rapidly growing sports industry, have formed a new joint venture company.

Governing bodies, local authorities and national governments have spent more than $3billion on security at sports events in the past year, with the major events investing heavily in the light of the escalating threat of terrorism.

Infront Sports & Media has reached an exclusive agreement with a group of leading Nordic broadcasters for a substantial package of rights to FIFA’s top events, including the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Television coverage of this year’s Athens Olympic Games smashed previous records, IOC president Jacques Rogge has confirmed during this week’s Sportel – with almost four billion of the world’s population tuning in to the event.

Some of Britain's Olympic stars could be forced to withdraw from Monday's central London parade because of a contract wrangle between the British Olympic Association and the athletes' kit sponsors Nike and Reebok.

US cyclist Tyler Hamilton has signed a multi-year deal to endorse muscle stimulation products, despite facing a two-year ban because he failed a doping test.

A senior delegation from the Doha Asian Games organising committee will join delegates appearing at the first International Sports Security Summit in London on October 27 and 28.

Infront Sports & Media has extended a partnership with Greek national broadcaster, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation SA (ERT), signing an exclusive agreement covering all matches for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2005.

Infront Sports & Media has reached an exclusive agreement with Czech TV for the television rights of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in the Czech Republic.

Infront Sports & Media has reached an exclusive agreement for the television rights to the 2006 FIFA World CupTM for the territory defined as French-speaking Belgium.

Squash has been approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as one of five recognised federations that should be "studied further" before inclusion in the Olympic Games programme for 2012.

The Greek Football Pool Organisation (OPAP) became the twelfth Official Sponsor of the Paralympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is using Mori, the market research company, to gauge public support for cities bidding to host the 2012 Summer Games.

Challenge Business has announced three new Global Challenge yacht sponsors and a consortium member for Team Save the Children.

Figures released by UK terrestrial broadcaster the BBC show record numbers accessed the Athens Olympics through it's interactive TV service and bbc.co.uk.