Thailand

Nick Faldo is taking part in this week's Johnnie Walker Classic without a sponsor following a row with his main backer.

Peter Velappan, the general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, has attacked the decision by Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli to withdraw from the semifinals of this year's Asian Cup Winners' Cup.

Asia's economic crisis has begun to bite into Singapore's professional soccer league, with players being forced to take a pay cut, a source close to the island state's national team has said.

Thai competitors who win gold medals at next month's Asian Games in Bangkok will receive cash rewards of at least 1.0 million baht ($27,000), a government minister has said.

The French capital announced it was bidding for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

News Corp's latest financial results for the second quarter 2001 have shown that Asian joint venture ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is still $21million (?23.4m) in debt.

A ceremony celebrating the award of an honorary degree to Tiger Woods was disrupted by demonstrations against sportswear giant Nike?s record on worker?s rights. The golfer who is in Thailand to play the Johnnie Walker Classic tournament in Bangkok walked past the peaceful protest but did not stop to talk to the demonstrators.

Manchester United, the world's first billionaire soccer club, is making a business play into Asia to lure supporters and further drive its share price, chief executive Martin Edwards has said.

Indonesia and Thailand could be disciplined by the Asian Football Federation following the bizarre behaviour of their teams in a Tiger Cup group match.

Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej is to use a magnifying glass to light the flame for next month's Asian Games and the prime minister will help run it to the opening ceremony.

Asian soccer chiefs are to hold an emergency meeting in Bangkok to decide what to do about FIFA's effective allocation of just two Asian qualifying slots for the 2002 World Cup, officials have said.

The ASEAN Football Federation has announced that Singapore and Indonesia will share the hosting rights for next year's Tiger Cup.

The Sports Authority of Thailand has received Bt50 million ($1.1m) from the government to set up an IT network to disseminate information about sports activities around the nation.

China has launched Beijing's bid for the 2008 Summer Games under the slogan "New Beijing, Great Olympics."

Bribery and match-fixing hamper the development of soccer in Southeast Asia, and a farcical game in the recent Tiger Cup championship has further tarnished the sport's image, coaches and officials said.

Thailand will close all schools and colleges, suspend road works and deploy an army of policemen to prevent traffic jams during next month's Asian Games, the chairman of the organising committee said on Monday.