Oceania

An Australian IOC member alleged to have taken his family on four free holidays to Salt Lake City has angrily denied any wrongdoing and accused the city's Board of Ethics of defamation.

Organisers of next year's Sydney Olympics have slashed the Games budget, blaming the IOC corruption scandal for putting off potential sponsors.

The man in charge of next year's Sydney Olympics has lashed out at the International Olympic Committee after senior IOC members attacked him for releasing confidential documents detailing their personal habits.

Australia will host three-test series against Pakistan and India over the summer but Melbourne could miss out as a venue because of a dispute involving the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The 10 Australian Football League clubs in Victoria want the league to look into telecasts competing against the gate.

The US Tennis Association and American International Group (AIG), the US-based international insurance organisation, has signed a multi-year agreement to sponsor the US Davis Cup tennis team.

A decision on who should run Melbourne, Australia's 2006 Commonwealth Games, is set to be made next week.

The Queensland, Australia, TAB betting agency has welcomed the state government's decision to dump plans to sell 20 percent of its proposed A$300 million float to a major investor.

Unilever is extending its sports sponsorship involvement by signed a naming rights deal with the Sydney Marathon.
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Australia's top soccer players are threatening to boycott a World Cup warm-up match against France because of unpaid bonuses.

An investigation into the death of a marshal during the Australian Grand Prix last March is likely to clear local organisers, Formula One sources said on Monday.

Yorkshire cricket greats Fred Trueman, Geoffrey Boycott and Ray Illingworth are considering snubbing the opening of Headingley's new stand because they are angry that former British Prime Minister John Major has been asked to perform the ceremony.

Exposure to the colour yellow immediately before a race is shown to help a significant majority of athletes improve results during training, according to a survey carried out by psychologists at the request of UK athletics major sponsor Norwich Union.

A special Commonwealth Games Bill is being drafted to ensure that the A$400m redevelopment of the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia is completed on schedule for the 2006 Games, with minimal impact on the AFL season.

The Australian Football League is considering banning further private ownership of its clubs, according to chief executive Wayne Jackson.

Australia?s top Olympic Games chiefs have been rewarded with hefty pay rises for what was described as the ?best ever? Olympic games in Sydney in September.