North America

The National Association of Attorneys General Boxing Task Force has released a 60-page report calling for an independent ranking system and an increased protection of boxers.

The turbulent stock market may be creating funding problems for the big sports web site players as they continue to burn through cash, but Rivals.com general manager Scott Ehrlich argues that sports community niche sites will prosper because they can market themselves using the already existing connections and affinities between fans and groups of sports participants.

Former chief executive of Wal-Mart, David Glass, has won the approval of the board of Major League Baseball?s Kansas City Royals to buy the team in a deal worth $96m.

AthletesDirect, a division of Broadband Sports, has launched the official Web site for the Los Angeles Lakers? Rick Fox.

The NFL and the players union have asked senior US judge, David Doty, for power to sanction agents for violating the collective bargaining agreement when negotiating contracts, reports USA Today.

A proposal put forward to raise funds for a new Florida baseball stadium by taxing cruise ship tourists has been blasted by two of the biggest cruise liner companies.

Minard Hamilton, formerly senior vice president, ESPN International, has been named general manager of international business for ESPN Internet Group (EIG), a part of GO.com .

IOC leader Jacques Rogge has tried to douse concern about organisational problems within the 2000 Olympics, by saying Sydney had no real worries compared to some predecessors as host city.

A vote scheduled by NBA team owners on the sale of the Vancouver Grizzlies to billionaire Bill Laurie was postponed at the request of the team's current owner John McCaw.

Formula One needs an African Grand Prix but the calendar must not be enlarged beyond 17 races, team owner Eddie Jordan said.

Canadian broadcaster TSN says first round World Cup matches have produced outstanding ratings.

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.

International footwear giant Nike Inc. has centralised responsibility for branding and manufacturing all its hockey equipment in Montreal as competition and consolidation in the business tighten.

Plans for a new professional American football league to compete with the NFL will be revealed today.

World Cup Skateboarding (WCS), the world skateboarding sanctioning body and tour organiser, has appointed action-sport marketing agency IMS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sportsworld Media Group plc to manage its commercial interests globally.

The Continental Basketball Association - the longest-standing professional basketball league in the world - will today announce its relaunch in the US and Canada.