Sweden

Mercedes-Benz USA has signed an endorsement deal with LPGA professional Annika Sorenstam.

UEFA chief Lennart Johansson launched an astonishing attack on FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Tuesday in the continuing fallout from the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner ISMM/ISL.

New Balance Athletic Shoe, the Boston, USA-based footwear provider, has renewed its four-year sponsorship of modern pentathlon until the Athens 2004 Olympic Games for an undisclosed amount.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter faces the toughest fight of his career this week when delegates from around 200 national associations meet in Buenos Aires for FIFA's Extraordinary Congress.

Sports Resource Group plc is to acquire Sweden-based IEC in Sports International Events and Communications AB for an initial consideration of up to £17.5million ($25.04m/B

The Belgian government has approved a budget of 30 million Belgian francs ($758,100) to finance a national publicity campaign for this summer's Euro 2000 soccer championship.

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.

Anshutz Sports & Entertainment Group (AEG), the owners of the National Hockey League team the Los Angeles Kings and Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy, will invest in two Swedish clubs to expand its sporting assets outside the US.

The European Commission has offered to meet the presidents of UEFA and FIFA for talks to break the deadlock over a new soccer transfer system.

The Women's United Soccer Association, which plans to kick off next April, unveiled its nicknames, logos and venues.

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

No more international club soccer matches will be held in Stockholm because of the high police costs of manning them, Swedish Football Association president Lars-Ake Lagrell said.

The Nordic Golf Federation is to launch a campaign to have golf included in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Clubs who form a breakaway northern European League will not be able to take part in the lucrative Champions League, according to European soccer's ruling body UEFA.

The Swedish prosecutor's office has reopened an inquiry into a suspected attempt to bribe the International Olympic Committee into choosing Stockholm for the 2004 summer games.

Facts about the FIFA vote to decide who stages the 2006 World Cup finals, which will take place on Thursday in Zurich.