Oceania

BMCMedia has been appointed by the Walt Disney Internet Group to represent football web site Soccernet, in all major markets in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Peoples Republic of China, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and New Zealand.

Australia has benefited to the tune of $1.4billion from Olympic-based income during September, pushing the trade balance into surplus for the first time in three years.

The Sydney Organising Committee for this year?s Olympic Games is to auction a range of Olympic memorabilia.

Quokka Sports, Inc. has announced record third quarter financial results for the three months ending September 30, 2000.

Brazilians have hit out at Sepp Blatter after the FIFA president threatened in a magazine interview to kick the country out of the 2002 World Cup.

Former Australian batsman Dean Jones and ex-New Zealand captain Martin Crowe have denied any involvement in match-fixing after being named in an Indian police report into corruption in the game.

Nielsen Net Ratings has hailed NBCOlympics.com the Sydney Olympic web site champion for the US audience.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will visit Beijing in February next year ahead of the vote in July to decide the host city of the 2008 Games, a Chinese Olympic bid official said on Tuesday.

Andreea Raducan, the Romanian gymnast stripped of a gold medal in Sydney for taking a banned substance, has said she will sue the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to clear her name.

The Victorian state cricket team has joined forces with sports internet group Sportal Australia to produce a new cricket web-site at www.bushrangers.com.au.

Organisers of the Rugby League World Cup are hoping for an upturn in the event?s fortunes after dire weather and disruptions to UK train services caused chaos over the first weekend of matches.

Australian Olympic champion Cathy Freeman is being sued by her ex-fiance for breach of contract after sacking him as her manager before the Sydney Olympics, the Australian media has reported.

Australian-based design and planning firm Hassell has formed an alliance with HOK, the world's biggest sports facility architectural firm.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Robert Steadward has declared the Paralympic Games, the best Games ever, as International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Juan Antonio Samaranch had done on October 1. Steadward said the Paralympics had had been "an absolutely outstanding event".

The NBA, constrained by the ?mature? domestic market are seeking new markets in Asia, according to a report in the Asian Wall Street Journal.

The first Grand Prix of next season, which takes place in Melbourne, Australia, will utilise ticketing services from Synchro Systems? sister company Ticketmaster 7 of Australia.