Nordics

Video-on-demand company Yes Television has launched its first dedicated sports channel.

Vyacheslav Koloskov faces a serious challenge from an unlikely source when he stands for re-election as president of the Russian Football Union on December 8.

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.

Norway, in a rare departure from its increasingly stringent restrictions on alcohol advertising, has approved a "limited" exemption for the 1999 World Ice Hockey Championships.

Kazakhstan would be welcomed as the 52nd member association of UEFA if they went ahead with plans to quit the Asian confederation, officials said on Wednesday.

Berlin will host its first Speedway Grand Prix when the series comes to the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Stadium on May 5, 2001.

PayForView.com, integrated on-line and off-line entertainment company, has acquired the internet broadcast rights to two international soccer games: The USA woman's championship team versus. Norway on July 30th and the Benfica versus Liverpool game on August 5th.

ABC and ESPN have bought the exclusive broadcasting rights in the US market for premier IAAF events in a three- year agreement with the IAAF and ISL Worldwide.

Margot Jackson, an Australian who won the 100 and 200 metres sprint double at the 1952 Helsinki Games, has been appointed to the board of the Sydney 2000 Olympic organising committee.

Finnish retailer and kiosk chain Rautakirja has raised its stake in sports management group Jokerit HC Oy by 6.2 percent to 34.4 percent for an undisclosed sum.

The race to take over the troubled Russian Football Union (RFS) warmed up on Wednesday when the head of the Russian league, a harsh critic of the RFS boss, joined the list of candidates for the post.

Toyota Motor Corp has announced it would return to the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race this year after developing its new Toyota GT-one.

Boxing fans will have to wait until October to see former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a boxing ring, despite a previous announcement this week stating that the renowned boxer would fight in September.

Eleven soccer clubs from five of Europe's smaller nations are to keep alive the prospect of a breakaway "Euroleague" in the face of UEFA's failure to address their concerns.