Stadia

Wpp.com has invested in TWI Interactive, the rapidly growing sports new media arm of IMG.

Peacock Financial Corp., the investment holding company which includes The San Diego Soccer Development Corp among its portfolio of companies, has purchased the `A? league franchise for Orange County, California, from the United Soccer Leagues (USL).

English Premier League Aston Villa has signed a media partnership agreement with NTL Inc subsidiary Premium TV Ltd, the latest in a series of recent deals between British clubs and media companies.

Japan has thrown its hat into the ring to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, officially entering Osaka as its candidate and vowing a "clean" campaign to win the right to hold the games.

British Airways has joined the race to secure the shirt sponsorship deal with soccer?s biggest club ? English Premier League champions Manchester United.

Italian soccer club Fiorentina have responded to a proposed supporters' boycott of this week?s Italian Cup match against Venezia by dropping ticket prices to less than the price of a cup of coffee.

Scottish Premier League club Celtic have signed a new sponsorship deal with sportswear firm Umbro worth $24m over the next five years.

Rugby league world champions Australia will kick off the 2000 World Cup at Twickenham, the first time in the sport's 105-year history that it will be played at the home of rugby union.

Ireland plans to spend IR#281 million ($358 million) on a new sports complex incorporating an 80,000-capacity national stadium, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has said.

City investors have rejected the idea of a bond deal based on ticket sales in order to finance the construction of the new Wembley stadium, reports the soccer industry newsletter, The Soccer Investor Weekly Bulletin.

Internet Service Provider PSINet has finally signed as a major sponsor of UEFA?s Euro 2000 soccer tournament in a deal worth a reported $11million.

The 365 Corporation ? best known in the sport industry for its string of successful web sites ? has launched a new programming division.

Organisers of soccer?s Euro 2000 have launched a crackdown of on-line black market ticket sales for the tournament.

Adidas-Salomon has unveiled an extensive restructuring programme aimed at paving the way for strong earnings growth in the future.

Tickets.com, a leading one-stop online provider of sports, entertainment and travel tickets and event information, has been named as the Official Ticketing Services Supplier for the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

AltaVista Company, the media and commerce network and FOXSports.com have agreed that FOXSports.com will be the exclusive content provider for the AltaVista Live! Sports Channel.