Japan

The Japanese unit of global communications company Pacific Century CyberWorks (PCCW) is to form a joint venture with Japan's largest entertainment television content firm Yoshimoto Kogyo Co Ltd. to develop sports and entertainment content.

Electronics giant Philips has become the fourteenth official partner of the 2002 World Cup soccer tournament in Korea and Japan.
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Television distributor Venevision International has been chosen by satellite broadcaster DirecTV to sub-license the rights to the 2002 soccer World Cup in a number of Latin American nations.

Olympic boss Jacques Rogge is confident swimming's governing body FINA will agree to start testing for erythropoietin (EPO), one of the most dangerous banned drugs in sport.

In the wake of the recent test case ruling involving the Independent Television Commission (ITC), 2002 World Cup TV rights holders the Kirch Gruppe could decide not to part with the rights, meaning UK viewers would be unable to watch the tournament to be held in Japan and South Korea.

South American Football Confederation (CSF) president Nicolas Leoz, whose organisation staged the Copa America at only six days' notice, says his dream is for every country in the Americas to take part in the future.

An estimated 425,000 people are expected to travel to Japan for next year's World Cup, Japanese government officials were quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Angry football supporters wearing red noses protested outside headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Tuesday after the four-times world champions' shock defeat by Honduras the day before.

Australian swimming sensation, Ian Thorpe has launched an astonishing attack on the sport's world governing body, accusing FINA of not doing enough in the war against drugs.

Swimming's top doping expert has questioned the reliability of tests used to detect erythropoietin (EPO), one of the most dangerous banned drugs in sport.

Ninety percent of the population of Beijing tuned into the broadcast of the Olympic vote on the host city for the 2008 Games which saw the Chinese capital emerge victorious.

A squad of top NBA players will visit China and Taiwan in September for two exhibition games, the National Basketball Association has announced.

Only 10 per cent of an expected 400,000 visitors to Japan from South Korea will be able to get a flight to the soccer World Cup next year, according to Chung Mong Joon, the co-chairman of the tournament?s organising committee.

South Korea began a 365-day countdown to the start of the 2002 World Cup finals on Thursday, pronouncing its plans almost complete.

Soccer?s world governing body FIFA has put plans for a bond issue backed by the marketing rights to the 2002 World Cup on hold, a source close to the deal said earlier today.

FIFA says it will confirm within the coming weeks if it will recruit a new marketing agency to help sell sponsorship for the 2002 World Cup, following the collapse of the ISMM Group.