North America

Formal details of the bids by the nine cities hoping to stage the 2012 Olympic Games have started arriving at the IOC’s offices, ahead of tomorrow’s deadline.

The Chick-fil-A Charity Championship in Atlanta has become the latest LPGA Tour tournament to increase its prize money for 2004, jumping $250,000 to $1.6million.

Major League Baseball officials travelled to Monterrey this week as part of its on-going hunt to find a new home for the league-owned Montreal Expos.

Television ratings for the Rose Bowl - the flagship event of the US college football programme on New Year's Day - posted a substantial rise on last year.

Former US congressman and chairman of USA Football Jack Kemp will present a keynote address at the forthcoming International Sport Summit 2004 conference.

The city commission of Miami is seeking a half-penny sales tax to raise $225million for a new stadium for the Florida Marlins baseball team.

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays will open the Major League Baseball season in Tokyo, it has been confirmed.

IOC president Jacques Rogge has indicated that, due to the standard of the bids, it is a possibility that none of the cities campaigning to host the 2012 Olympics will be eliminated from the final ballot to be made in 2005.

It had the biggest response of any sportbusiness.com poll ever conducted – so who, according to the decision makers in the industry, is leading the race to win the right to host the 2012 Olympic Games?

Live coverage of MotoGP races in 2003 has increased by an average of 138 million – according to rights holders Dorna.

A decision on the future of financially-stricken US motorsport CART is expected this week.

NBA star Gilbert Arenas has signed a multi-year deal with sportswear giant adidas.

Dallas Cowboys receiver Joey Galloway has bought a minority stake in the Arena Football League's Columbus Destroyers.

MTV has been selected to host the half-time show at the 2004 Super Bowl – the second time it has carried out the role.

NBA owners and representatives of the NBA Players’ Association have confirmed the league will exercise its option to extend the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) through the 2004-5 season.

England's soccer captain David Beckham finally looks to have cracked the US after it was confirmed he is to appear in an upcoming episode of cult US cartoon series The Simpsons.

The London Triathlon has signed its first event title sponsor.

US pay-TV operator Cablevision and the Yankees Entertainment & Sports (YES) Network have chosen the arbitrators to rule over their ongoing carriage dispute.