Events

The South American Football Confederation said it was unaware of a Colombian bid to host football's 2014 World Cup finals.

Qatar Airways agreed a deal to become the official airline sponsor to English Test Match Grounds in a deal brokered by Frontiers Group.

The British Equestrian Federation and UK Sport have appointed PMP Legacy to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate a British bid to host the FEI Games in 2014 or 2018.

Italian public-service broadcaster Rai acquired the exclusive rights for Euro 2008 in a deal with the Sportfive agency and Uefa.

In a landmark deal for motorcycling, MotoGP will be broadcast on network TV in the US after an agreement was reached between US broadcaster ABC and MotoGP’s commercial rights-holders Dorna Sports.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said that should the Football Federation of Australia put in a bid for the 2018 World Cup the country’s local governments would support the bid very enthusiastically.

The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association released the results of a five-year study which it says shows the Australian government’s anti-siphoning rules, designed to protect certain sports events for free-to-air viewing, actually prevent people from watching the sports they supposedly protect.

Uefa President, Lennart Johansson, confirmed that he intends to seek a further, and final, term of office as Uefa President.

UK Pay-TV broadcaster BSkyB won the right to show Premier League football matches on mobile phones as it scooped the final domestic Premier League rights package.

The International Rugby Board announced that Australia will host a leg of the 2006-07 IRB Sevens World Series. The Australian Rugby Union has awarded the event to Adelaide, with the Adelaide Oval hosting the tournament.

Hospitality in Partnership (HiP), the global events and consultancy operation is to create a consortium to tender for the official corporate hospitality contract for Euro 2008, to be staged in Switzerland and Austria.

The organisers of cycling’s three Grand Tours, the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a EspaC1a said that they had pulled out of the UCI’s controversial Pro Tour series with immediate effect.

Women’s tennis’s Sony Ericsson WTA Tour agreed a new four-year deal for its European TV rights, from 2008 to 2011, with long-term television partners, pan-European broadcaster Eurosport and Regency Enterprises. The landmark deal is the largest TV deal in women’s sport and is a major element of the Tour’s new TV strategy for women’s tennis.

South African public-service broadcaster SABC acquired the rights for all Fifa competitions from 2007 to 2014, including the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Italy is in danger of losing its bid to host the 2012 European Championships as a result of the Serie A match-fixing scandal.

Uefa, European football’s governing body announced the schedule of events for its Champions League draw, Uefa Cup draw and the traditional season-opening Super Cup match.