Blue is the colour as fans flood to Berlin

Berlin set for biggest party as World Cup nears climax. One thing is certain as the World Cup nears its climax - whoever wins, Berlin will be painted blue. > Blue is the colour as fans flood to Berlin

Whether it is the Azzuri or Les Bleus celebrating victory, a sea of blue will flow through the city's streets, while tricolors are flourished aloft.

For the German capital is being invaded from the south and west, as more and more Italian and French fans arrive every hour, either to be at the match, or just with the hope of experiencing victory in Berlin.

Maxell's "Guy" to be face of X Games campaign

Maxell's "Guy" to be face of X Games campaign > Maxell Targets Youth Market With X Games Campaign

Maxell's iconic "Blow Away Guy" will be the star attraction of a major print, online and TV sponsorship with ESPN for the Aug. 3 through 6 "X Games 12" action sports competition in Los Angeles.

The campaign includes ads in the print editions of Rolling Stone, Stuff and Wired!, as well as Yahoo! Music, and a specially created online game aimed at younger consumers.

Study: Cherry juice may help athletes

Study > Cherry juice may help athletes according to this report Cherries dip into power drink fad

Cherry juice may reduce pain and muscle damage, according to a study funded by Cherrypharm Inc., which is marketing a sports beverage based on cherry juice.

More sports go online for a fee

Web companies such as MediaZone.com and WCSN.com are tapping the small, but passionate fan base of so-called second-tier sports like tennis, cycling, beach volleyball and track and field with pay-per-view screenings of their events.

"There are thousands of people willing to pay to watch our events," says Michelle Wu, CEO of MediaZone.com, which on Monday will begin showing the first of some 250 Wimbledon matches.

Web offers new venue for pay-per-view sports. So, what do you think about More sports go online for a fee? Any prons or cons? What's your opinon?

German football fans dare to hope

It's a Party time in Germany!

German football fans dare to hope An impressive World Cup start has German fans daring to hope!

Nude worm tempts World Cup fans

Football fans are being warned about a malicious worm that uses world Cup themed e-mails to infect Windows PCs.

A Nude worm tempts World Cup fans called The Sixem-A worm is spread in messages with subject lines such as "Naked World Cup game set" and "Crazy soccer fans".

Once installed, the worm attempts to disable security software, leaving the computer open to further attack. So, take your measures!

Boxing – an interesting sport

Here is a brief introduction of boxing, one of the 39 discilpines at the Doha Asian Games 2006.

Boxing – an interesting sport did you know that the practice of boxing dates back to antiquity?
There is evidence of boxing being prevalent in North Africa as far back as 4000 BC with signs it was practiced in Egypt around 3000 BC.

Boxing was introduced to the Olympic Games by the Greeks in 688 BC.

High scoring football snacks

World Cup recipe videos
The World Cup gets serious now for the last 16 teams, and while the players get orange slices and motivational abuse at half-time, we have video clips online to offer complimentary cuisine when catering for your World Cup parties.

Watch these here > World Cup

The Football Connoisseur's Guide: Hamburg: A Port, Red Lights and lots of Soccer

Heading to Hamburg for the World Cup?

Definately you need to read this guide The Football Connoisseur's Guide: Hamburg: A Port, Red Lights and lots of Soccer Plenty of information, where to go, what to see, where to eat and more.

Plus all the latest results, gossip and behind the scene (and maybe the locker rooms?) details. A football connoisseur's guide.

For sponsors, huge global exposure

Continuous exposure for World Cup sponsors.

Read this > For sponsors, huge global exposure. Soccer features two 45 minutes halves of play with few breaks, so while broadcasters won't be able to air frequent commercials, marketers sponsoring official in-stadium signage and "ambush marketers" seeking free airtime will have a chance to reach billions of consumers across the globe.

Among the official sponsors forking over an average of $35 million each are Adidas, Coca-Cola and Yahoo!

Gooooooooal!

The world is about to go footballistic.

In some countries, there will be mass delirium, in others, much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Like the Olympics, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup (only in North America is “the beautiful game” called soccer) is staged every four years and is every bit a television spectacle.

A quarter of the world’s population tuned in to the 2002 World Cup. This year’s extravaganza, which gets underway June 9 in Germany, is likely to surpass that. Gooooooooal! Movies and books about football, on the other hand, are structured to provide a reliable payoff. Especially in feature films, the game is mostly a vehicle for wish fulfillment: the triumph of the underdog or the follow-your-dreams parable.

Diver Alex Despatie injures neck

World champion Alexandre Despatie has decided to end his diving season due to a neck injury suffered in Florida three weeks ago > Diver Alex Despatie injures neck

Despatie has been trying to dive for three weeks but the intense pain is preventing him from competing at the elite level.

Germany's World Cup runneth over

Championship gives visitors a chance to see much more than soccer during Germany's World Cup runneth over visitors won't even need tickets to plug into the soccer excitement.

Games will be shown live on big screens in public places such as Berlin's Potsdamer Platz and Munich's Olympic Park, and thousands of people are expected to take part in fan festivals around the country.

Another option, as with Athens and the 2004 Olympics, is to visit after the event ends, since some hotels are raising hotel prices on game days.

Don't forget that World Cup kicks on June 9 and goes through July 9 and that they will be played in 12 German cities: Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Nuremberg, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Hannover, Dortmund, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Gelsenkirchen and Kaiserslautern.

World Cup host Germany offers beautiful cities, top museums, excellent beer

Next month in Germany, more than a million visitors will marvel at world-class play during the World Cup soccer championship.

They can also admire great art, stroll medieval town squares and savor some of the world's best beer. World Cup host Germany offers beautiful cities, top museums, excellent beer The World Cup offers great tourism as well as sport, with the 12 host cities including perennial travel favorites Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Nuremberg and Hamburg.

Here are the leading attractions for quick visits in the top cities. Just read the article and you have them all.

Bee cool: Spellers show great izzat

Hey, everyone is into spelling bees these days, including MLB.com.

These were the words that had to be spelled in those final rounds, and this is how they are used in the form of a baseball sentence: Left Field

Now, wouldn't you like to bee cool?

Enhance your vocabulary! Hmm?

The Boys of Soccer

See this slide show > The Boys of Soccer: "The Boys of Soccer Meet seven hot shots on the U.S. World Cup team."

A great piece!

Marcos: Cyprus' star

This year's Australian Open could have been named the Cyprus Open!

Marcos Baghdatis hit the headlines during the first major of the season and expect to do the same when Roland Garros starts on Sunday. Tennis - Marcos: Cyprus' star !