Japan

The draw for the 2002 World Cup, the biggest in the tournament's 69-year history, will involve 195 nations and be seen live on Tuesday by a television audience of about one billion people.

The draw for the 2002 World Cup, the biggest in the tournament's 69-year history, will involve 195 nations and be seen live on Tuesday by a television audience of about one billion people.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter recommended on Thursday that South Korea and Japan co-host the 2001 Confederations Cup to prepare for the following year's World Cup soccer finals in the two countries.

French hopes of staging the 2003 world athletics championships have received a significant boost when it was claimed that the main rivals to Paris may not have its stadium ready in time.

The 2002 soccer World Cup, to be hosted in Japan and South Korea, looks set to kick-off earlier than previous tournaments to avoid potentially disruptive weather conditions.

Asia is threatening to walk out of this week's FIFA congress and says it will boycott the qualification period for the 2002 World Cup over the continuing row over tournament berths.

Organisers of the 2002 soccer World Cup - to be jointly staged in South Korea and Japan - say they are confident a compromise can be reached to avoid Asia's threatened boycott of the tournament's qualifying rounds.

Japan will consult with co-hosts South Korea on how to solve the row between Asia and FIFA over the allocation of places for the 2002 World Cup, Japan's top soccer official has said.

The venue city for the 2002 soccer World Cup has been revealed.

South American Football Confederation president Nicolas Leoz has suggested the 2002 World Cup should be taken away from Asia, following the walkout by the Asian delegation at the FIFA Congress in Los Angeles.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is attempting to defuse the row over the allocation of places which has led to Asian countries threatening a boycott of the 2002 World Cup.

Malaysia's ruling soccer body will not support Asia's tentative boycott of the 2002 World Cup over an extra berth, according to local newspaper reports.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Peter Velappan, head of the Asia Football Confederation, have said they are optimistic that an Asian boycott of the 2002 World Cup would be avoided.

Lisbon is expected to launch its second bid this year to host a major sports event.

The Japanese port city of Yokohama will be the venue for the final of the 2002 World Cup, Japan's World Cup Organising Committee (JAWOC) has annnounced.

The chairman of English Premier League club Chelsea, Ken Bates, has called on European countries to boycott the 2002 World Cup finals in protest at plans to bring the dates forward.