North America

The $120million sale of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning has finally been completed - more than a month after the league approved the deal.

NBC's five-game series average between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks was down 40% from last year's final series, marking the lowest point in the NBA finals TV ratings for 18 years.

A sell-out crowd and record viewing figures have all but been ensured by the presence of the US team in next Saturday's Women's World Cup Final at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

FIFA general secretary Michel zen Ruffinen has refuted criticism of the controversial new world club championship and said it was almost certainly here to stay.

Britain's first online tax-free betting service has launched into National Football League betting in the United States.

International Speedway Corporation (ISC) has reported record results for the second quarter and six months ended May 31, 1999.

MBNA America Bank, NA (MBNA) will be the title sponsor and official financial service products provider for The Foxhall Cup, the US National Championship of Equestrian Three-Day Eventing

In a move which extends the provision of financial services for the corporate client at sports events, Reuters have signed a co-marketing agreement with the New York Mets for the 1999 season.

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 sale of the Washington Capitals to a consortium led by an executive of internet service provider giant AOL, Ted Leonsis, has been approved by the NHL.

The US Tennis Association and American International Group (AIG), the US-based international insurance organisation, has signed a multi-year agreement to sponsor the US Davis Cup tennis team.

Starter Corps, the company which became one of the leading manufacturers of team-licensed sportswear in the 70's and 80's, has had a $46m bid offered by a consortium of five companies approved by a federal bankruptcy judge.

AutoNation, the automotive retailer with $18 billion in annual revenues, has become an official first-time sponsor of the National Football League and Super Bowl XXXIV in Atlanta on January 30, 2000.

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.

In an indication of the new power of women's soccer in the USA, President Bill Clinton will congratulate the U.S. team for their World Cup triumph at a White House ceremony today, Monday.

Applications for tickets to the Sydney 2000 Olympics have surpassed initial sales for the last Games in Atlanta and exceeded even local expectations, the Games organising authority has said.