North America

Intrawest Corp.'s Mont-Tremblant ski resort, the biggest in eastern Canada, said on Thursday that it had reached an agreement in principle with its unionized workers on a new labour pact.

Brewer Molson Inc. has extended the auction of its storied Montreal Canadiens National Hockey League club and the Molson Centre arena beyond the December 31 deadline it had originally set.

Japan has no plans to launch a new investigation into allegations the central Japanese city of Nagano bribed International Olympic Committee (IOC) executives to host the 1998 Winter Games.

Victoria has won the right to host the 6th World Cup Polo Championships 2001 at The National Equestrian Centre at Werribee Park, from 28 March to 8 April 2001.

The National Football League has agreed to oversee and manage game officials of the Arena Football League (AFL) and the AFL's minor league, arenafootball2 (af2), beginning with the 2001 AFL and af2 seasons.

The European Triathlon Union (ETU) says it is prepared to take legal action to recover the debts owed by the eight national triathlon federations, which last week announced the unsanctioned formation of the breakaway Triathlon Council for Europe.

NHL star Sergei Berezin has signed with entertainment giant SFX to exclusively represent him.

Soccer's world governing body FIFA said on Sunday it was open to the idea of sponsors names on national team shirts but insisted they would not be allowed at the 2002 World Cup. FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the association's executive had discussed the idea at an end-of-year meeting in Rome but wanted to examine it further before making a decision.

Eight countries - including France, Spain and Britain - are forming a breakaway European governing body for triathlon, the sport which made its Olympic debut at the Sydney Games.

Paris will stage the best Olympics ever if it wins the right to hold them in 2008, the bid organisers said in an official statement.

Tennis Canada has appointed Anthony Alfred as regional director, media and public relations.

Paris officials have abandoned plans to hold the gymnastics in the historic Grand Palais if they win their bid to host the 2008 Olympics.

China's capital Beijing has spent billions of dollars this year widening and extending roads to pave the way for its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, the Xinhua news agency has reported.

Les McDonald, president of the International Triathlon Union (ITU), the world governing body of the Olympic sport, has been forced into a court case in Vancouver, British Columbia, over allegations that recent elections to his organisation were fixed, with some national federations being denied their right to vote.

China will be too busy pursuing its bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games over the next few months and will likely leave Taiwan alone, Taiwan's Vice President Annette Lu said on Tuesday.

Beijing has started radio English lessons to get its citizens up to speed in the race for the 2008 Olympic Games, according to local reports.