Events

The New York State Athletic Commission adopted this week reforms bringing boxing promoters, judges and sanctioning bodies under greater scrutiny in response to the controversial Holyfield-Lewis draw decision last March.

ISL, the marketing company which has rights to soccer?s World Cup, the ATP Tour, and a range of other international events, may seek a stockmarket flotation, according to a report in the publication TV Sports Markets.

The Washington Redskins plan to name Steve Baldacci their team president within the next several days, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Sportsworld Media, the sports television and events management group will be looking to South America to add to its recent acquisitions, as it announced its preliminary results for the 14 month period ended June 30.

The French government has agreed on a bill to tax revenues from broadcasting rights and use the proceeds to help sport at local and youth level.

Television companies attacked sports clubs this week for demanding exorbitant fees for the rights to transmit top events and said the trend was harming viewers, broadcasters and sports themselves.

A new, independent study comparing the effect of virtual advertising and conventional arena advertising on viewers of televised sports reveals that TV audiences had better recall and greater brand recognition with virtual ads.

Promoter SFX Entertainment Inc has acquired Tellem & Associates, in a deal that creates a powerhouse sports agency that will represent some 700 professional sports figures including Nomar Garciaparra, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

Over the years sport has been shaped by many great teams and partnerships. Now there is a new pairing which promises to impact on the sports business in a most dramatic way.

Continuing the trend towards combined ownership of more than one sports franchise, the owners of Minnesota's NBA and NHL teams are were working on a deal to buy the Minnesota Twins, contingent upon the construction of a new stadium in St. Paul.

Fox Sports Net and Southwest Sports Group, the Dallas-based sports and entertainment company controlled by Tom Hicks, have entered into a comprehensive long-term broadcast partnership agreement that will keep the Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars and American League West Division Champion Texas Rangers on Fox Sports Net Southwest and add the Mesquite Championship Rodeo to the network's programming line-up.

NBC Sports and Triple Crown Productions (TCP) have agreed to a multi-year contract, giving the network the exclusive American broadcast rights to thoroughbred horse racing's Visa Triple Crown - the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. The agreement goes into effect in 2001 and continues for five years through 2005.

Broadcom Corporation, an enabler of broadband communications to homes and businesses, and Gotcha International, the surfwear and media company, have launched Broadband Interactive Group Inc. (BIG) to create interactive content aimed at the 10-24 year-old age group.

Latin America?s Octagon Koch Tavares has signed a deal to be exclusive marketing agency for the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT).

Formula One has announced a new $48million `entry fee' for new teams.

A simulated riot and fire drill intended as a test of security procedures for next year's European soccer championship had to be cut short at the weekend after a group of real hooligans turned up. The police, ambulance and fire services had invited about 800 volunteers to simulate a mass exit from a pretend fire in Rotterdam's De Kuip stadium and disturbances outside the ground.