Australia

A new joint venture company Adventure Racing World Ltd has been formed to manage, develop and promote the Adventure Racing World Championship and the Adventure Racing World Series.

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) has appointed Peter Young as its new general manager of public affairs.

European sports channel ESPN Classic Sport has signed a new rights deal for archive Olympic footage.

The Australia Rugby Union (ARU) insists that Sydney's Olympic stadium Stadium Australia will be at full capacity for all the matches in next year's Rugby World Cup despite a dispute over the construction of roofs over the north and south stands.

Australia's Professional Footballers' Association has rejected a bid from television network Channel Seven to televise Socceroo games until 2010.

France has been chosen above Australia, the US, Switzerland and South Africa to host the Confederations Cup in 2003, making it the first European country to host the event.

More than one third of the clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) reported big financial losses last year, according to figures released by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA) this week.

Soccer Australia (SA) has failed to find a new broadcasting partner in time for the start of the National Soccer League (NSL).

The ICC Champions Trophy tournament currently taking place in Sri Lanka is expected to boost the local economy by about $25million (EUR26m), according to the International Cricket Council's CEO Malcolm Speed.

Australia's National Soccer League (NSL) is reportedly on the verge of severing its ties with Soccer Australia just one week before it starts its new season without a major sponsor and under threat of no TV coverage.

The Brisbane Broncos, Australia's only listed sporting club, said profits for the first half of the year fell 68.5 percent to A$1.3million ($663,000) because fewer home games were played this season.

The PGA Tour of Australasia has cancelled this year's Tour Championship tournament because it was unable to find a major sponsor for the event which is due to take place in Sydney on December 12-15.

Australia's Institute of Sport Management (ISM) is to persuade all sporting organisations to adopt a code of ethics in an attempt to make all sports more transparent and scandal-free.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly reached a compromise with India's leading cricketers over their image rights for the ICC Champions Trophy which starts in Sri Lanka on September 12.

Melbourne could have a team in the Super 12 competition as soon as 2004, the Australian Rugby Union's (ARU) chief executive John O'Neill said yesterday.

England, Ireland and Wales will head to Australia next June as part of Australia's preparations for the Rugby World Cup in October 2003.