Indonesia

Former Thai soccer coach Withaya Laohakul said he hoped a decision by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to ban the country from international competition would only be a temporary punishment.

Southeast Asian countries are debating whether it is wise to hold the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games next year.

Retailer FJ Benjamin has scored an exclusive deal with English soccer champions Manchester United to sell club merchandise and set up a chain of theme stores and cafes across soccer-crazy South-east Asia.

The 20th Southeast Asian games begin on Saturday with attention focused as much on the tiny sultanate of Brunei as the actual competition itself.

At least 11 foreign teams will take part in a soccer tournament beginning in Dhaka on August 27, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has announced.

The ASEAN Football Federation has announced that Singapore and Indonesia will share the hosting rights for next year's Tiger Cup.

The World Wrestling Federation has secured new television agreements in Europe, Asia and Australia, increasing the number of countries broadcasting WWF programming to 150.

The World Boxing Council (WBC) has confirmed that Jakarta will host the 39th Annual World Convention in November.

The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) has decided to move the $170,000 Sanyo Indonesia Open from Surabaya to Jakarta for security and sponsorship reasons.

The World Wrestling Federation has signed three new distribution agreements in Asia as part of its strategy to expand programming within the region.

The Badminton Association of Indonesia has denied that it is bidding to host the 2002 Thomas and Uber Cups, pointing to its own financial straits and the current uncertainty in Indonesia.

Asian sports broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) has acquired the exclusive terrestrial, cable and satellite television broadcast rights of the English Premier League for the next three seasons beginning August 2001.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) representatives completed a seven-day visit to East Timor on Wednesday aimed at helping the tiny country establish its own National Olympic Committee.

The troubled Millennium Cup soccer tournament has suffered a fresh setback with officials canceling a third-place playoff to cut losses.

An international tournament in India which promised to boast major players has been branded "a farce" after two teams withdrew, one was ruled ineligible and another failed to play because the team's baggage was delayed.

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