Nordics

MTG, the Scandinavian media company, has bought 17% of the share capital of Stockholm-based soccer club Djurgaarden, worth SKr7m ($781,000), according to news sources.

Stockholm?s Olympic Stadium will host its first speedway meeting for nearly thirty years when the Speedway Grand Prix hits the Swedish capital on Saturday 29 September 2001.

UEFA has ordered the Moldova soccer federation (MSF) to close down the main stadium in the capital of the tiny, impoverished ex-Soviet republic for safety reasons.

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) said on Wednesday it had summoned Amore Vita cycling team director Gianluigi Barsottelli to a hearing on January 7 over doping allegations. CONI said in a statement its anti-doping commission had summoned Barsottelli after studying documents from Bologna magistrates who have been conducting a wide-ranging investigation into alleged doping in cycling. A spokesman for the Italian Professional Cyclists' League said Barsottelli's team was affiliated to the English cycling federation this year.

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

Sydney and Salt Lake City Olympic officials have sought to reassure potential sponsors and spectators that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was dealing effectively with the biggest scandal in its 104-year history.

The English Football Association has chosen the venue for England?s first ever World Cup qualifying tie to be staged outside of Wembley Stadium.

Vyacheslav Koloskov, president of the Russian Football Union (RFS), has won a bitter struggle to keep control of the country's soccer for another five years.

Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson, who claims that a back injury forced him to pull out of his September 8 fight against Denmark?s Brian Nielson, is thought to be in talks with Don King about a new partnership.

Finland's government should invest at least 43.3 million markka ($6.91 million) on stadium improvements to boost the joint Nordic bid for Euro 2008, a working group has proposed.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said a venue switch for the Euro 2000 match between England and Germany from the small Belgian stadium of Charleroi should be considered to minimise the risk of crowd trouble.

The U.S. women's World Cup winning soccer team will boycott the Australia Cup next month because of unresolved contract negotiations. Instead, The U.S. Soccer Federation will send young players to the four-nation tournament.

Olympic leaders said on Friday they would be holding immediate talks on whether Salt Lake City broke Olympic rules in its campaign to win the race to stage the 2002 Winter Games.

Sweden?s answer to Rupert Murdoch, Jan Stenbeck, has bought a 17 per cent stake in soccer team Djurgarden. Stenbeck's company, Modern Times Group (MTG), owns several media companies, including the free commuter newspaper Metro which was introduced in the UK two years ago.

Internet TV company Kamera is to broadcast the ATP Scania Stockholm Open online next week.

The World Cup short-course swimming series has been cut from 12 meetings to 10 and will offer more prize money.

Canadian Olympic gold medalist Myriam Bedard has announced she is suing Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. for C$725,000 ($500,000).

Newcastle United's St. James' Park will host England's World Cup qualifier against Albania, the FA has said.