Thailand

Asia's financial crisis has cost the Asian Games $12 million in lost marketing revenue, the region's Olympic chief has said.

The 20th Southeast Asian games begin on Saturday with attention focused as much on the tiny sultanate of Brunei as the actual competition itself.

Sporting group Royal Clicks Ltd said on Thursday its new joint venture with Sports Equipment (Far East) Pte Ltd had secured exclusive distribution and licensing rights for soccer brand Umbro for nine countries.

Indonesia have been awarded the right to hold the 2002 Tiger Cup by the Asian Football Federation four years after civil unrest forced the nation to relinquish hosting the event.

The Southeast Asian Games, currently being hosted by Malaysia, is set to take place less frequently as organisers try and recapture its attraction to both the public and sponsors.

The Thailand Football Association has written to FIFA to request a change of venue for their Asian World Cup qualifying match scheduled for Baghdad on Friday, a Thai official said on Tuesday.

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