Russia

The opening leg of the UIM Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, will be used as a benchmark for other venues of the 14-round UIM world championship

Moscow's deputy mayor, who doubles as hockey chief for the city of 10 million, has called for an end to unfair contracts which he said allowed North American ice hockey leagues to buy up top Russian players on the cheap.

Norman May, the man who stirred a nation with his radio commentary of Australia winning a swimming relay gold at Moscow in 1980, is to be awarded the Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee.

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.

UK terrestrial broadcaster the BBC has bought up the television rights to Ipswich Town?s upcoming UEFA Cup home tie against Torpedo Moscow.

The British Formula One Grand Prix could be scrapped if the Competition Commission rules that Octagon Motor Sports? acquisition of a Silverstone circuit lease is against the public interest, according to lawyers for Octagon.

Russian premier division club CSKA Moscow has been bought by a consortium, including British company Blue Castle Enterprises Ltd.

Lokomotiv Moscow's new 30,000 capacity stadium, Russia's first dedicated exclusively to soccer, will be opened in July 2001.

Russian soccer champions Spartak Moscow have signed Lukoil, the country's biggest oil company, as their major sponsor, a Lukoil spokesman has confirmed.

Russia's skiing federation (RSF) has been forced to cancel two World Cup cross country skiing races because of lack of funds, a senior federation official has said.

The Bulgarian arm of Russian oil firm LUKOIL is in talks to buy a majority stake in Bulgarian soccer club Neftochimik Bourgas, Neftochimik's president said on Tuesday.

The International Olympic Committee said today that Beijing has assembled a high quality bid for the 2008 Olympic Games.

China urged International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegates arriving on Monday to assess Beijing's bid for the 2008 Games to focus on its credentials as a "sports superpower of 1.2 billion people", not its human rights record.

Marat Safin's rise to the top of tennis has had a huge impact on the game in Russia.

IOC Coordination Committee chairman, Jacques Rogee, has given SOCOG a glowing endorsement for their work in the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games 2000.

Swedish construction company Skanska AB has said it has won a contract worth 560 million crowns ($69 million) to build a sports centre in St Petersburg for the ice hockey world championship in 2000.