Europe

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is to give a lecture at Bocconi University in Milan next week.

A suspected North Korean spy ship, sunk by the Japanese coastguard at the end of last year, may have been carrying weapons aimed at disrupting this summer's World Cup in Japan and South Korea, according to Agence France-Presse.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter received a demonstration of support fromthe president of the Royal Spanish Football Association, Angel Maria VillarLlona, and the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, on the day ofReal Madrid's 100th birthday.

The organisers of the 2004 Olympic Games were accused by Athens hotel owners of not doing enough to ensure Greek tourism would receive a major boost from the Games.

UEFA will float the idea of a new national team competition to replace the "friendly" internationals guaranteed in the new FIFA calendar, UEFA spokesperson Mike Lee has told sportbusiness.com.

Denis Oswald, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) overseer, has said that there are still numerous problems to be solved before Athens hosts the Olympic Games in 900 days time.

The G14 group of major European football clubs are seriously considering introducing a wage caps to prevent a string of club bankruptcies, a Real Madrid official told delegates at the European Football conference in Madrid.

Representatives from rival basketball groups FIBA and ULEB have held talks in Spain with a view to them both co-operating with the running of the Euroleague.

Hungary will build a new stadium and renovate seven existing grounds if it is chosen to host the 2008 European championships.

The Irish Tourist Board has signed up as title sponsors of the IAAF/Sport Ireland World Cross Country Championships, to be staged at the Leopardstown Racecourse later this month.

English cricket chiefs are once again hunting a sponsor for one of its major domestic county competitions, after its partnership with finance firm Norwich Union came to an end.

Ticketmaster has been appointed as the official ticket systems sponsor for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Disney-owned free-to-air US network ABC has agreed a TV rights deal for coverage of Formula One races in 2002.

Shares in gaming group Sportech soared nearly 13 percent today after the London-listed firm reported its first full-year results since its £162million ($231m/EUR265m) acquisition of Littlewoods Leisure, the operator of the football pools in the UK.

Barclays Bank has agreed a five-year contract to title sponsor The Scottish Open on The European Tour International Schedule for an undisclosed sum

Tom Walkinshaw (pictured) has said a new Formula One team - rising from the purchased ashes of the failed Prost team - could be on the grid at the end of this month.