Beijing, China - 12 February, 2002 (PRN):Chinese Internet company Sohu.com has beaten rivals to a prestigious contract for the development and operation of the nation's World Cup soccer team Web site.

Sohu.com will build, market and operate the Chinese Football Association's official 2002 World Cup site, the company said in a media statement Friday evening.

With the 2002 World Cup set to ignite the region's sports fans when it is held in Korea and Japan this summer, and with close to 34 million Internet users in China, the Web contract is a coup for Sohu.

"Sohu is uniquely positioned to channel high volumes of traffic to this site and attract millions more passionate Chinese soccer fans to follow the World Cup games online," said Charles Zhang, Sohu's CEO and president.

Sohu says the site will provide breaking news and real-time results, as well as being used for online commerce and advertising.

The Chinese Football Association is the governing body of football in China.

The official site will be on the Web at http://worldcup.sohu.com.