Japan

Police investigating World Cup ticket fraud have arrested three people, including a consultant working for the French affiliate of ISL Worldwide, FIFA's official marketing partner.

Two executives working for FIFA's marketing affiliate were placed under formal legal examination on Wednesday by a court investigating allegations of a World Cup ticket fraud, court sources said.

International athletics chief Primo Nebiolo has said he no longer fears the stadium for next year's world championships will not be ready on time.

Baseball could stage its first world cup as early as 2001.

The France 98 internet site has broken through one billion hits in just over a year of operation following a record 68 million hits on Friday, officials said on Monday.

Outbreaks of hooliganism by English and German fans in France should not affect those nations' bids to stage the 2006 World Cup finals, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said.

Japan and South Korea may already have flown home from the World Cup finals but their supporters have made a lasting impression on FIFA, the sport's governing body, which is dedicated to cleaning up the game.

The Sydney 2000 Olympics will attract an extra 1.6 million tourists to Australia and generate A$6.1 billion (US$3.8 billion) in export earnings between 1997 and 2004, according to Tourism Minister Andrew Thomson.

If FIFA and its marketing partner ISL are right, FIFA's double-globe football symbol will soon become one of the best known commercial logos in the world.

The 2002 World Cup finals are likely to be up to a week shorter than the current tournament in France, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said.

Use of FIFA's logo is to be devleoped accoridng to the Federation's marketing partner ISL.

German insurer Albingia will provide insurance cover totalling 2.5 billion marks ($1.4 billion) for the next soccer World Cup in Japan and South Korea in 2002, Welt am Sonntag newspaper said on Sunday.

Japan and South Korea, co-hosts of the 2002 World Cup, are pushing ahead with their plans to build new stadiums despite the economic crisis in Asia.

South Korean acting Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil has called for a reduction in the number of cities playing host to the 2002 World Cup.

Chung Joon-moon, the head of the South Korean federation, has again asked for the 2002 World Cup tournament to be put back from June and July to September to avoid their rainy season.

South Korean officials insisted that they have no intention of backing out of staging the 2002 World Cup.

Brazil has said it would bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, and immediately received the backing of the South American Football Confederation (CSF).

The European Commission has for the first time issued guidelines saying how competition rules should apply to the broadcasting of sports events.