Sponsorship & Marketing

The Australian Olympic Committee and host broadcaster Channel 7 have created a web address, olympics.com.au, in competition with the official Games site, olympics.com, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The Extreme Sports Channel has signed a deal for the ISF World Junior Snowboarding Championships and Freestyle Frenzy with ISP, the Utah based distribution company.

USA Swimming's Board of Directors have voted 15-6 to lift a ban on full bodysuits for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming.

Five carmakers, including Ford , Daimler Chrysler and Toyota , are in talks to buy a third of Bernie Ecclestone's SLEC Formula One business, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Eurosport, the European sports channel, is setting up a separate sales team to handle advertising and sponsorship sales of events and youth programming, under the YOZ (Youth Only Zone) banner.

Major League Baseball?s Baltimore Orioles are set to sell the naming rights to their Oriole Park ballpark.

Fila USA has renewed its agreement with the USTA as official footwear and tennis apparel sponsor of the 2000 U.S. Open Tennis Championships.

NASCAR has signed a deal with Midtronics to become one of the motorsports? licensed products.

Sports channel Eurosport is setting up a separate sales team to handle advertising and sponsorship sales of events and youth programming, under the YOZ (Youth Only Zone) banner.

Goal Media Group, the digital media company that produces.goalnetwork.com and todogol.com, has signed an exclusive internet partnership with a Hong Kong and Chinese market online soccer publisher.

Visa USA has named the line-up of consumer and new merchant partners to support the sixth consecutive year of its NFL sponsorship.

Bernie Ecclestone?s Formula One Management group has extended its control of grand prix racing's commercial rights by purchasing them for a further 100 years beyond the current expiry date of 2011, according to UK press reports.

Umbro.com Limited, the licensee of digital rights for international sports giant Umbro, is to launch a global e-commerce operation in September.

NBC has reported the lowest TV ratings ever for this week?s baseball All-Star game.

German former tennis ace Boris Becker said he planned a stock exchange listing for one of his marketing companies next year.

The International Olympic Committee has appointed Sports Marketing Surveys to conduct worldwide television monitoring and broadcast analysis research for the Sydney Olympic Games.

The 2000 WNBA All-Star Game will reach viewers in 154 countries around the globe in 23 different languages via 37 telecasters, according to NBA sources.

MSNBCSports.com, the internet home of NBC Sports, will launch its online sports fan store next Monday.