France

Great Britain will stage the next rugby league World Cup in 2000, it was announced in Sydney. The newly-formed Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) has put in place a calendar of events covering the next three years.

Six more of Europe's most prominent soccer clubs were invited on Monday to attend a meeting of the newly-formed UEFA Task Force on Friday to discuss the future of the game on the continent.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said that he expected England to present a strong, professional bid to host the 2006 World Cup finals - although Africa was still the logical choice to stage the tournament.

Britain is planning new laws to curb soccer hooligans who have repeatedly embarrassed the nation abroad, London's Evening Standard newspaper has reported.

The Olympic organising committee in Quebec City was courted by "special agents" who offered to "buy" votes on the International Olympic Committee to help the city's bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympics to succeed, Le Soleil newspaper has reported.

Disparaging comments about disabled people allegedly made by controversial England football manager Glenn Hoddle could cost the team its sponsorship and maybe his job.

A year before the Euro 2000 soccer championships, organisers received a possible taste of things to come as hooligans linked to Rotterdam's Feyenoord fought with police and wrecked the centre of their own city.

The magistrate investigating the Tour de France doping scandal has cleared France's two leading cycling officials of all charges in the case.

France marked the first anniversary of its World Cup victory with an agreement to invest around $50 million of the profits from the tournament in club sport and soccer.

Octagon CSI, the television division of the Octagon Group, will unveil a number of new football programming opportunities at this year?s Sportel in Monaco.

IEG, the Chicago-based newsletter that values sponsorship for clients, says the US postal service is not capitalising on its sponsorship of Tour de France competitor Lance Armstrong.

The emperor of Japan, premier of China and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will be in the stands when next year's World Cup finals kick off, if South Korea's soccer boss has his wish.

The mayor of London Ken Livingstone said he would do everything within his powers to help the British Olympic Association (BOA) win a bid for the capital city to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

VTV has been awarded the contract to produce the UK?s Channel 5?s live coverage of the MotoGP World Motorcycle Racing Championships for 2001.

Media group Vivendi Universal has confirmed that it was in talks with Germany's Bertelsmann about merging their sports rights interests to create a leading pan-European player.

A cabinet minister and kimono-clad young women turned out to greet Olympics inspectors when they arrived on Sunday in Japan's western metropolis Osaka to evaluate its bid to stage the 2008 Summer Games.