South-East Asia

A bruising three-month battle for the FIFA presidency reaches a climax on Monday when Sepp Blatter and Lennart Johansson contest the biggest job in soccer.

The United Nations investigator for children's rights has reported that professional soccer had joined the list of sectors shamed by child trafficking from underdeveloped countries.

A popular Philippine spectator sport was relaunched recently, 13 years after it was banned following a game-fixing scandal, and hundreds of punters joined the action.

Ajay Sports, Inc. have completed the purchase of all outstanding capital stock from Pro Golf of America, the franchiser of Pro Golf Discount retail golf stores.

The Philippines' Supreme Court has ordered a state-owned gambling firm to reply to a suit that seeks to halt the operations of a controversial game.

Makati City, the Philippines? chief financial district, will bid to host the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

ESPN Star Sports (ESS) will develop its broadcast feeds in Asia with the addition of the Philippines.

A legal battle has begun in the Philippines with the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) taking the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to court to force it to recognise the BAP leadership.

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

Video-on-demand (VOD) firm Yes Television ? which hopes to become one of the leaders in on-demand sport ? has formed a joint venture with Sky Vision Corporation.

Macau Cable TV has concluded a deal to carry ESPN and STAR Sports.

A Singapore cricket official has said an apparent match-fixing attempt in last week's Singapore International Challenge final between India and West Indies was shocking and may have come from abroad.

The world's richest man, Bill Gates, plans to offer #1billion ($1.6bn) to secure television rights for England's Premier League soccer, a Singapore newspaper quoted Football Association (FA) commercial director Phil Carling as saying.

The NFL is planning to show Sunday afternoon football in the Netherlands, Austria and Singapore via the Internet starting this weekend.

Octagon, the Interpublic-owned sports marketing and entertainment group, is expanding into South East Asia through a partnership with Singapore-based sports marketing firm RTA.

Russell E Wolff has been appointed Vice President, Programming at ESPN STAR Sports.