South-East Asia

Thai sports officials have lowered their estimate of the number of gold medals Thailand will win at next month's Asian Games to reduce pressure on the athletes.

Thai police have said they would take swift action against tour guides who tried to lure foreign visitors to the Asian Games into sex shows or to child prostitutes.

Saudi Arabia has withdrawn from next month's Asian Games in Bangkok because the event clashes with religious and national festivals at home, Thai officials have said.

Only 6,745 athletes from 42 nations have registered to take part in next month's Asian Games by the deadline this week, compared with the anticipated total of more than 8,700, the Games organising committee said.

Three days before Asia's biggest sporting event kicks off, harried Thai organisers are still battling bugs that threaten to turn the 13th Asian Games into a farce.

Asian Games officials have turned a blind eye to a reported call by Thai police for alcohol to be banned at sports venues after fans threw bottles onto the pitch during a preliminary soccer match.

Asia's financial crisis has cost the Asian Games $12 million in lost marketing revenue, the region's Olympic chief has said.

The Asian Games has been experiencing major traffic jams, but on the information superhighway, not Bangkok's notoriously congested streets.

Asian soccer chiefs are to hold an emergency meeting in Bangkok to decide what to do about FIFA's effective allocation of just two Asian qualifying slots for the 2002 World Cup, officials have said.

Despite the region's economic crisis, ticket sales for the Asian Games in Thailand are higher than expected, an official has said.

A top Asian sports official has said there was growing support within the region for a boycott of the 2002 World Cup in protest at Asia's representation in the finals.

Asian soccer chiefs have gaven FIFA until March to avert a regional boycott of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea by giving Asia the chance of an extra place in the finals.

Asia has turned world soccer's favourite slogan back at governing body FIFA and asked for "Fair Play, Please."

Chinese sports officials have waded into the Olympic bribery row, saying Beijing may have been a victim of IOC corruption when it lost to Sydney in the contest to host the 2000 Games.

A formidable army of supporters lined up to back England's World Cup 2006 bid, are claiming that the resignation of F.A. chief executive Graham Kelly would not hurt the nation's chances.

U.S. agents have arrested three Taiwanese and a U.S. citizen on charges of smuggling millions of dollars worth of counterfeit golf equipment into the United States, the U.S. Customs Service has said.