Japan

Sepp Blatter, president of soccer’s world governing body FIFA, played down the chances of North Korea hosting any matches in next year's World Cup finals, but said he would still probably visit the country later this year.

Turkey's Olympic chief looks disdainfully upon the report that may crush Istanbul's bid to host the 2008 Olympics.

A squad of top NBA players will visit China and Taiwan in September for two exhibition games, the National Basketball Association has announced.

The biggest names from last year's Sydney Olympics are back in Australia for the Goodwill Games with the event's organisers hoping Maurice Greene, Marion Jones and Ian Thorpe can save the event from oblivion.

Australian swimming sensation, Ian Thorpe has launched an astonishing attack on the sport's world governing body, accusing FINA of not doing enough in the war against drugs.

Beijing officials defended China's human rights record on Wednesday but conceded it faced a challenge persuading world opinion that the Chinese capital should stage the 2008 Olympic Games.

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.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said the world governing body's member associations must be unanimous when sanctioning players guilty of doping.

South African terrestrial channel e.tv has secured the exclusive TV rights to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Negotiations over the French TV rights to the 2002 World Cup have stalled because rights holders the Kirch Group have set the price too high, a French newspaper has reported.