Events

Africa?s hopes of hosting the World Cup in 2010 were put on hold after the continent became the victim of a second soccer stadium tragedy in less than a month.

GG Media has stepped up its bid to broadcast horseracing in the UK in competition with the Go Racing consortium, by launching an advertising campaign.

Swedish international television agency IEC in Sports has acquired the worldwide TV rights for two IAAF Athletics meets in Japan ? the IAAF Grand Prix in Osaka on May 12 and the IAAF SuperMeet in Yokohama on September 15, 2001.

Arena Leisure, the racecourse and media group, is set to announce this week it has clinched a deal to control television rights to British horseracing, according to newspaper reports.

England?s Premier League soccer competition is expected to finally secure a new title sponsor on Monday when the 20 club chairmen are called to a meeting to vote on who will take over from brewing company Carling.

Wireless Group, the owners of Kelvin McKenzie?s TalkSport radio station said losses for the year to December 31 2000 widened to #34.2 million ($49.3m) from #27.5m ($39.7m). Operating losses at TalkSport widened by #200,000 to #7.9m. Despite the losses, McKenzie said it had been a good year for the company, especially for TalkSport which saw its advertising market rise by 15 per cent.

Television producer and five-times Emmy Award winner Charlie Stark is to become the executive producer of the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) where he will focus on developing the broadcast profiles of drivers in the FedEx Championship Series.

English soccer fans may only be able to watch four of the 64 World Cup games on terrestrial television next year, according to Labour backbenchers John Grogan and Ivor Caplin.

Global event hospitality company, Iluka UK, have re-signed sponsor Samsung for management of their Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic winter Games hospitality programme.

Sportingbet.com, the online sports betting company, has signed a five year contract with Ozmosa to provide online sporting and gaming bets in East and South East Asia. Ozmosa?s 7,000 customers can currently bet on televised US baseball and the casino game, Baccarat.

The City of Pontiac in Michigan has subpoenaed the National Football League and sued Wayne County to wrest information about the Detroit Lions' new stadium and how it landed the 2006 Super Bowl.

London?s Capital Radio has failed in its bid to gain the rights to broadcast Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and Chelsea soccer matches on its Capital Gold station for the next three years.

India's government has reacted sharply to a threat by the country's cricket board to boycott the World Cup until the government clarifies playing guidelines.

The four bids so far submitted for the sponsorship of the Indian cricket team are not satisfactory, the treasurer of the country's cricket board (BCCI) has said.

The British Horse Trials Association, the promoters and organisers of show jumping, dressage and cross-country events, is losing about #100,000 ($144,000) a month because of the foot and mouth crisis.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said that there is still a possibility that North Korea may be able to host some 2002 World Cup matches.