Events

Bill Gates and Microsoft are throwing their financial support behind next year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester, signing up as an official sponsor and technology supplier.

BBC Director-General Greg Dyke branded soccer world body FIFA as "hypocritical" on Tuesday for selling the television rights to the 2002 World Cup while supporting global television coverage of the event.

Britain's Cheltenham Festival was thrown into doubt again on Tuesday with news that a farm near the course had fallen prey to foot-and-mouth disease.

The Singapore Sports Ministry has unveiled a budget of S$500 million over five years for sports, and outlined plans for a new complex that aims to turn Singapore into a hub for world-class sporting events.

IOC delegates have heaped praise on Toronto's plans to stage the 2008 Olympics, saying they were impressed with the city's athlete-oriented focus and dismissed detractors who sought to cast a pall on Toronto's squeaky-clean reputation.

ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has signed multi-year agreements for Asian broadcast rights to Formula One motor racing and the leading tennis Grand Slams ? the US Open and Wimbledon.

Formula One's five European car makers said on Tuesday they opposed any moves that would lead to one television company controlling the commercial rights to races.

Asian sports broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) has acquired the exclusive terrestrial, cable and satellite television broadcast rights of the English Premier League for the next three seasons beginning August 2001.

China urged International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegates arriving on Monday to assess Beijing's bid for the 2008 Games to focus on its credentials as a "sports superpower of 1.2 billion people", not its human rights record.

The AFL has had a much-needed sponsorship boost as the league and naming-rights backer Coca-Cola denied their relationship would end prematurely.

World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis' U.S. promoter has denied a report that Johannesburg had been selected to host the fighter's next defence in April.

The Williams tennis sisters Venus and Serena have won their cases to evict cyber-squatters from contested domain names, arbitrators have ruled.

HBO.com is to launch a live interactive adjunct to HBO Sports' new 12-week talk/magazine show, On the Record with Bob Costas.

The Senior PGA Tour?s decision to award its broadcast rights to CNBC has paid early dividends.

Transport and accommodation standards must improve for Britain to have a chance of bidding successfully for the Olympic Games, UK government Culture Secretary Chris Smith has said.

Wembley National Stadium Ltd (WNSL) chairman Rodney Walker has started a new round of talks to discuss his plans for an athletics track in the new national stadium.