Europe

France’s Prime Minister Francois Fillon has confirmed that talks are ongoing with Formula One organisers about returning the country to the sport’s calendar, but has admitted that the race fee is proving a sticking point.

The Etihad Stadium, home of English Premier League giant Manchester City, has been confirmed as the venue for two sport sponsorship professional development courses produced by SportBusiness Group on June 13 and 14.

Italian football lost a total of Eur428 million last season, with the findings of a new report painting a worrying picture of the domestic game.

UK pay-TV channel ESPN has snapped up the rights for 14 tennis events this year in separate deals with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to mark a bold move into the sport.

Ben Gallop, BBC Sport’s head of interactive, denied that the UK public-service broadcaster had scaled down initial plans for 3D coverage of this summer’s Olympic Games in London.

France is poised to return to the Formula One calendar for the first time since 2008 with Prime Minister Francois Fillon set to visit the Paul Ricard Circuit on Friday amid speculation that the Le Castellet venue could stage a race as early as 2013.

Delegate places are selling fast with less than a month remaining until the inaugural mSport Summit held in London on April 26.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced two major initiatives for the London 2012 Paralympic Games which aim to drive increased engagement with the Paralympic Movement.

Bradford Bulls have warned they will fold unless supporters raise £1 million to save the embattled Super League franchise.

Manchester United and England star Rio Ferdinand has confirmed his attendance at the Soccerex European Forum, which gets underway today in Manchester.

UEFA Euro 2012 organisers are struggling to sell corporate hospitality packages for the tournament due to competition from London’s Olympic Games and the event’s location in Poland and Ukraine, according to experts.

The Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) has stated its leg of the Olympic torch relay will go ahead as planned after securing financial backing from the sponsorship sector.

Baku 2020 has hailed the selection of Azerbaijan to host the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship as another key milestone in the bid to establish the country as a major sports event host as it aims to land the 2020 Olympic Games.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) on Friday announced it had received four bids for the future tenancy of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.

International Sports Multimedia (ISM) has agreed a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) that will see it remain as the exclusive worldwide licensee for interactive entertainment software for the Olympic Games through 2020.

World Archery Federation (FITA) secretary general Tom Dielen has been added to the list of high-profile speakers for the sold-out inaugural edition of SVG Europe’s Sport Tech UK 2012: Summer of Sport Summit.