Events

The appointment of a new head of public relations of English Premier League club Manchester United is a `very important step forward? according to the club?s new chief executive Peter Kenyon.

Internet Pictures Corporation (iPIX), Hyro.com, and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) have signed a deal to allow the use of iPIX Virtual Tours on the official Olympics web site.

The New England Patriots have sold the naming rights to their new stadium to internet conglomorate CMGI in exchange for at least $114 million over 15 years. The stadium will be called CMGI Field.

Irish public television broadcaster RTE has seen off a rival bid from satellite giant BSkyB to clinch the television rights to the Six Nations rugby tournament.

A new web site hosting the official web sites for a string of top sports men and women has been launched.

ChoiceSeat, the provider of in-stadia interactive entertainment networks, has named three additions to their executive roster.

Scottish Premier League soccer clubs Rangers and Celtic have signed a deal to broadcast games in Europe on pay-per-view television in the UK.

The 2001 British Speedway Grand Prix will be held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Legislation to prevent known soccer hooligans from travelling abroad could be rejected by the UK?s House of Lords. The government is looking to save face following the disastrous events in Euro 2000, but the Lords have demanded at least one more day to debate it.

Sports marketing giant Octagon has landed in Greece, after aquiring leading Greek sports agency ACT ? the company behind Athens? successful bid to host the Olympic Games in 2004.

Eurosport, the European sports channel, is setting up a separate sales team to handle advertising and sponsorship sales of events and youth programming, under the YOZ (Youth Only Zone) banner.

NBC has reported the lowest TV ratings ever for this week?s baseball All-Star game.

Zimbabwe, where 13 people were killed following a stampede at the National Sports stadium last Sunday, are bidding along with six other countries to host the 2004 African Nations Cup, The African Football Confederation has said.

Australia?s Seven Network has unveiled a host of added-value enhancements to its coverage of this summer?s Olympic Games.

FIFA, world soccer?s governing body, appears to be back-tracking over a confidential report which ranked England's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup below that of rivals Germany and South Africa.

Havas Advertising and Transiciel have set up an online sports marketing agency specialising in developing web sites for sports events, clubs and sporting associations.