New Zealand

Xerox is to be an official sponsor of Rugby World Cup 1999 to be hosted by Welsh Rugby Union.

New Zealand minister Murray McCully recently resigned his tourism portfolio amid a row over policy but will retain responsibility for sports, fitness and leisure.

Sportsworld Media Group, the London-based sports marketing group, has finalised its $3m (?3.4m) acquisition of Uplink Sport, New Zealand?s largest independent producer of sports programmes.

Matches in a triangular one-day cricket tournament involving India, New Zealand and hosts Sri Lanka to be held in the central city of Dambulla have been shifted to Colombo due to a money dispute, the Sri Lankan cricket chief said on Thursday.

UK commercial network ITV has slammed International Rugby Board chairman Vernon Pugh over his claims it is still interested in securing the rights for the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup.

The Australian Rugby Union is hoping to receive a war chest to finance its push into Sydney?s western suburbs when it meets with International Rugby Board chairman Vernon Pugh in Sydney this week.

Former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe has refused to talk to the International Cricket Council (ICC) about match fixing allegations.

South Africa cricket chief Ali Bacher has said a proposal for a seeding system for the 2003 World Cup would be put to the International Cricket Council.

India will host a 16-nation soccer tournament from January 10 to 25 next year, the president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has said.

IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch remains confident about the safety of next month's Olympics despite the security scare over a possible plot to blow up a nuclear research reactor in Sydney.

Oceania's FIFA representative, who created an international storm after he abstained from a close vote that gave the 2006 World Cup to Germany, has said he would retire at the end of September.

The New Zealand Rugby Football Union, whose All Blacks team is one of the world?s best recognised sports brands, has appointed Media Content Sports Media Advisors as television and media rights consultants.

South Africa's 2006 World Cup bid committee will concentrate on the "nuts and bolts" of staging the event in its campaign rather than an emotional appeal for Africa.

London based ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi says it has won the global advertising contract for New Zealand's national rugby union team, the All Blacks, by their new sponsor Adidas-Salomon AG.

Plan to restrict England tours to the three main southern hemisphere rugby nations are unlikely to be accepted by the sport's governing body, Australia Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill said on Wednesday.

Millions of dollars of funding for the planned Waikato stadium in New Zealand are on the line in the next few weeks as the region's councils debate their input.