Sponsorship & Marketing

China's largest mobile phone company has postponed plans to begin charging customers for wireless internet service, citing slack demand.

IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch and the vice-president and minister for foreign affairs of Greece, George Papandreou, will host a joint press conference on Wednesday in Sydney on the establishment of the International Olympic Truce Centre.

SAIL, the South African sports brand management company, has produced strong interim results for the six-months ended 30 June 2000, pushing up headline earnings per share by 57%.

Swansea Rugby Football Club has appointed Generation Communications Ltd to manage all media and marketing activity relating to the club.

A senior Olympic official paid Sydney a glowing tribute at the midway stage of the Summer Games on Friday for putting on what he said could turn out to be a "magic" Olympics.

Al-Ahram, the Egyptian international media group, has signed a deal with EPSIS to introduce virtual advertising to its soccer broadcasts.

US satellite pay-TV company DIRECTV and digital sports content provider, Quokka Sports have formed a strategic relationship aimed at further developing interactive sports content programming to DIRECTV's next generation set-top boxes.

Strong interest in the Olympics is driving up the audience of New Zealand websites, according to research company AC Nielsen.

US television company WorldTel has won the production and distribution rights for cricket matches in Bangladesh for five years.

Virtual technology giant Orad is set to acquire German firm Xync in a deal worth around $15m.

Internet marketing company 3dvillage.com and CART team PacWest Racing Group, have signed an exclusive marketing partnership to create the world's first on-line, interactive 3D race weekend experience.

Expo-sites Inc. has signed a strategic alliance with sporting goods industry publications Sports Trend and Sporting Goods Dealer.

Trans World International [TWI] - the programming arm of IMG -has been commissioned by UEFA to produce thirty, one-hour magazine shows, reflecting this season's UEFA Champions League.

Wireless Group, the UK radio company, has received a turnover boost from the relaunch of Talk Radio as TalkSport.

European Rugby Cup Ltd (ERC) has signed a five-year partnership deal with the Paris-based sports marketing agency Havas Advertising Sports.

Tiger Woods, who last week extended his marketing tie with sports gear giant Nike in one of the biggest endorsement packages ever, may surpass Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan or Pele as a celebrity endorser.