Oceania

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.

England's top rugby union players, clubs and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) "are all going to live and die together", the RFU's chief executive Francis Baron said at Twickenham today when he outlined the terms of a new eight-year agreement for the sport.

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.

Wembley will be nominated as the site for a new national stadium by a UK government inquiry on August 20, according to Wembley National Stadium Limited chairman Sir Rodney Walker.

The most commonly abused drug in sport, erythropoietin (EPO), is not being tested for at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka as officials try and isolate the sport from recent drugs controversies.

Canadian city Montreal has won the race to host the World Swimming Championships in 2005.

Tele-Cine, the builders of secure TV and internet production facilities, has signed a long-term contract to provide transmission services for the digital TV channel gobarkingmad - a live, 24-hour greyhound racing channel where punters can see a race every five to eight minutes.

Exposure to the colour yellow immediately before a race is shown to help a significant majority of athletes improve results during training, according to a survey carried out by psychologists at the request of UK athletics major sponsor Norwich Union.

France stayed ahead of Brazil atop of the FIFA world soccer rankings for a third straight month, while Germany climbed three places to fifth.

India have withdrawn from a three-match, one-day cricket series against world champions Australia scheduled for September, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) said on Thursday.

Organisers said they were not worried ticket sales for the world athletics championships were $1.65 million ($2.4 million Canadian) below their $8.33 million ($12.5 million Canadian) target on Wednesday, 16 days before the opening ceremony in Edmonton, Alberta.

The first serious move to heal the century-old schism between the two rugby codes is under way in England and may result in one or more league clubs joining the union competition there next year, according to English rugby administrator Peter Wheeler.

The official website for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, Lionstour.com, attracted over 10 million page impressions during the tour.

Australia rejected on Tuesday a newspaper report that Australia and New Zealand might lose the 2003 World Cup to France because of arguments with the International Rugby Board (IRB) over TV rights and profits.

Former Australian rugby union coach Rod Macqueen will act as an advisor and consultant to the Australian Rugby Union, helping to decide on the establishment of a fourth Super 12 team.

Australia and New Zealand may lose the 2003 World Cup to France because of arguments with the International Rugby Board (IRB) over television rights and profits, according to media reports.