English-only soccer team set to represent Britain at 2012 London Olympics

September 30th, 2009 English soccer club Arsenal reports $56M profitsLONDON — English soccer club Arsenal has announced record profits of $56 million following a big increase in turnover and manager Arsene Wenger's refusal to pay huge transfer fees. Releasing figures Monday for the year that ended May 31, Arsenal said that turnover increased to $498 million thanks largely to TV revenue and ticket sales gained when the team reached the semifinals of both the Champions League and FA Cup.

September 30th, 2009 FIFA to discuss male soccer age limit for OlympicsRIO DE JANEIRO — FIFA officials will discuss possible changes on the age limit for male soccer players at the Olympics. The governing body's executive committee meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday also will address preparations for the 2010 World Cup.

September 6th, 2009 LONDON - England football star David Beckham has said he would now like to actively take part in football during the London Olympics. "I was very proud to play a part in bringing the Olympics to London.

August 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Stephen Daldry, an English theatre and film director who brought ballet to the screen and the stage in Billy Elliot, may be choreographing the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics. Daldry's name has been suggested to The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) after being proposed eminent personalities in the arts world.

August 20th, 2009 Paula Radcliffe pulls out of marathon at worldsBERLIN — Paula Radcliffe pulled out of the marathon at the world championships on Thursday because her reconstructed right foot is not yet ready to race the distance. The world-record holder won Sunday's New York City Half-Marathon in her first race since winning the New York Marathon nine months ago, but said that her foot has not fully recovered from the surgery she had in March.

August 20th, 2009 BERLIN - World record holder Paula Radcliffe of Britain won't run in Sunday's marathon at the world championships because she doesn't feel fit enough to charge for the gold medal. The British federation UK Athletics announced the news Thursday, five days after Radcliffe had ran her first race in 10 months after foot surgery, winning a half marathon in New York.

August 14th, 2009 London Marathon to manage 2012 Olympic courseLONDON — London 2012 officials have appointed the London Marathon organizers to manage and help design the course for the Olympic event. The London Marathon will provide the organizing committee with free staff and equipment, including start facilities, race vehicles and feeding stations, for both the Olympic and Paralympic events.

August 13th, 2009 LONDON - Women's boxing may have been legal in Britain for only 11 years, but on Friday, it could move a major step closer to being part of the 2012 London Olympics. The International Olympic Committee's 15-man executive board is meeting in Berlin to consider requests from boxing and 16 other sports to incorporate new events, reports the Daily Express.

July 28th, 2009 ESPN to show MLS, European soccer in BritainLONDON — ESPN has bought the rights to broadcast Major League Soccer live in Britain and Ireland as well as games from some European leagues. The Disney-owned network is building up its live soccer content in Britain after already securing rights to show some Premier League matches.

July 27th, 2009 Deng not gambling on fitness despite Olympic dreamLONDON — However desperate Luol Deng is to play at the Olympics, the Chicago Bulls forward won't jeopardize his fitness to help Britain ensure it clinches a spot at London 2012. The rehabilitation from a right-leg stress fracture that has kept Deng off the court since February is taking longer than expected.

July 21st, 2009 LONDON - British sprinter Linford Christie's niece, Rachel, has become the first black woman to be crowned Miss England. The 20-year-old won the title in the event hosted at Metropole Hilton Hotel in Central London, despite being injured in a car crash just few days before the event.

July 20th, 2009 Work starts early on London 2012 handball arenaLONDON — Construction work on a handball venue for the London Games has begun two months early, meaning all permanent venues for the 2012 Olympics are under way, organizers said Monday. The copper-clad arena in Olympic Park will host qualifying matches in the handball competition, the fencing discipline in modern pentathlon and goalball during the Paralympics.

July 15th, 2009 LONDON - Police in Britain fear that the 2012 Olympics, which will be hosted in London, may spark a rise in sex workers. With thousands of spectators, site workers and athletes around, there will be a huge demand for prostitutes, and the chances of sex workers being smuggled in, are huge.

June 1st, 2009 Holiday Inn signs up as London 2012 sponsorLONDON — Holiday Inn has signed up as the 19th domestic sponsor of the 2012 London Olympics. The London organizing committee said Monday that Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express will be the official "hotel services provider" for the games.

May 31st, 2009 LONDON - The Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish and English football associations have agreed that Great Britain should field a composite team at the 2012 Olympics. The compromise plan needs to be first endorsed by the British Olympic Association (BOA), which has always sought a team open to all British players.