Events

Sports marketing organisation ISL Worldwide has signed an accord giving French pay television group Canal Plus exclusive broadcasting rights in Europe to basketball events from 1999 to 2004.

Former Thai soccer coach Withaya Laohakul said he hoped a decision by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to ban the country from international competition would only be a temporary punishment.

Expectations of a swift counter-attack by a rival bidder to Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB for famed English soccer club Manchester United have faded as two rumoured candidates stepped off the pitch.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would send an envoy to North Korea to initiate friendly sports exchanges between arch enemies North and South Korea.

Advertisers, invited for the first time to a sports trade show here, have warned sporting event organisers that they should not milk their events for money.

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has said he hoped an International Olympic Committee initiative to host sports ties between North and South Korea would eventually lead to joint Korean teams for international competitions.

The consortium that holds exclusive broadcasting rights to the 2002 and 2006 World Cup soccer tournaments will allow the events to be shown on non-subscription television stations, according to an official of consortium member ISL.

Southeast Asian countries are debating whether it is wise to hold the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games next year.

The Italian Soccer League has said it will call a "time out" before discussing a project backed by Media Partners and JP Morgan to create a pan-European Super League.

Local media reports say Toronto's SkyDome Corp. faces a "significant cash shortage."

Dale Earnhardt Jr., currently the hottest driver in NASCAR racing, has hit the jackpot with what his team called the biggest sponsorship deal in Winston Cup

The future of digital television in Italy is shaping up into a scrap over soccer as Telecom Italia strives to hammer out a deal by Friday and global media baron Rupert Murdoch considers whether to join in.

After successfully hosting the Commonwealth Games over the last one and a half weeks, Malaysia is now planning to make a bid for the Asian games in 2006 and the Olympic Games in 2008.

The Football League, which represents clubs outside the elite Premier league, plans to launch English soccer's first pay-per-view television trial after Christmas.

Australia is to phase out tobacco sponsorship of international sports events by 2006.

ABC's Monday Night Football continued to dominate ratings this week but Baseball and Clinton's Presidential peccadilloes made for unspectacular figures, with the lowest rated Dallas game ever.