Europe

Australia today enters the final two years of preparations for the Sydney 2000 Olympics with the construction of venues on target but with officials admitting to some nerves as the great event draws near.

Setanta.com, the Irish sports content provider, has signed two contracts worth #1million ($1.45m) with mobile phone companies in Norway.

PAUL Ridley, managing director of MUTV, the television station which is dedicated to Manchester United, has quit the channel less than a month after it was launched.

The famous twin towers of London's Wembley Stadium face demolition under the redevelopment plans to create a new 80,000-seat national stadium, the Sunday Telegraph reported on Sunday.

Businessman Rod McGeoch, who spearheaded Sydney's bid to host the 2000 Olympic Games, has resigned from the board of the Games' organising committee.

Kenny Dalglish insisted on Sunday that his business consortium has not given up its bid to take over Celtic.

A Canadian broadcaster has made a multi-million bid to buy a leading speciality television group, partially owned by cable sports firm ESPN.

Pepsi has won soccer?s Far Eastern cola wars - beating arch-rival Coca-Cola in the race to sponsor China?s football league for the next five years.

A new #78 million motor racing track is to built in the UK - with promoters hoping to lure Nascar vehicles to compete on its centrepiece #2.4 million oval track once complete.

Gaylord Entertainment Company has acquired the naming rights to the Nashville Arena from the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators.

English soccer Premier League champions Manchester United have signed a deal with South African first division club FC Fortune to develop African youth players.

Australia's greatest ever Olympian, swimmer Dawn Fraser, has warned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of a possible athletes' protest at next year's Sydney Olympics if the organisation refused to reform itself properly.

The New South Wales Council of Social Service (NCOSS)has complained that lower income earners will be excluded form the Sydney Olympics.

The Rugby Football Union is unlikely to renew its UK television contract with BSkyB according to UK press reports.

UEFA opened their glittering new $20 million headquarters on the banks of Lake Geneva with President Lennart Johansson declaring the organisation was in great shape with the new millennium approaching.

Manchester United chief executive Martin Edwards has rejected an offer to buy a large chunk of his 14 percent stake in the European champions, industry sources have said.