Japan

FIBA has signed a deal with the Press Association to provide editorial for its official website.

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays will open the Major League Baseball season in Tokyo, it has been confirmed.

FIFA's rights selling agency Infront Sports & Media has sold the Indonesian broadcast rights to the 2006 World Cup to free-to-air network PT Surya Citra Televisi (STCV).

Live coverage of MotoGP races in 2003 has increased by an average of 138 million – according to rights holders Dorna.

Sportswear brand ASICS has renewed its sponsorship of the ING New York City Marathon.

Danny Jordaan, CEO of South Africa’s bid to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup, says he holds no bitterness to Germany after they won the right to host the 2006 finals by a single vote.

The host cities for two of athletics' most prestigiuous events have been decided with Moscow set to stage the 2006 World Indoor Championships and Fukuoka in Japan hosting the World Cross-Country Championships in the same year.

Italian soccer giant AC Milan has launched the Japanese version of its official website.

The NBA's growing international presence has again been proven after the league signed a raft of TV rights deals across the globe.

Building on the platform of this year's Rugby World Cup, Japan is lobbying to be included in the Southern Hemisphere's Super 12 series from 2006.

Research firm Sports Marketing Surveys has officially opened its Japanese office in Tokyo.

Digital media specialist RealNetworks has signed a new deal with UEFA for coverage of its Champions League tournament.

UK commercial free-to-air broadcaster ITV has claimed that its line-up of sports content over the last weekend pulled in over 26 million viewers to the network.

BT Broadcast Services (BTBS) has been signed a $1million deal to transmit UK broadcaster ITV Sport's coverage of the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

EMC has renewed its multi-year sponsorship deal to act as technical partner of the Toyota Formula One team.

FIFA has ruled out any joint bids for the 2010 World Cup in Africa – crushing hopes of a united Tunisia and Libya proposal.

A trademark row between Nike and world soccer governing body FIFA has spilt over into the courts after the sports goods giant filed legal action this week.

IEC in Sports has renewed its agreement with the Chinese Badminton Association to represent the IBF China Super Grand Prix Championships.