BIG YEAR OF SPORT AHEAD threatens Winter Olympics and WorldCup as COVID lurks
As we usher in the New Year we can look forward to an action-packed calendar of sporting events that are certain to thrill enthusiasts throughout 2022.
Sport has taken on even greater significance for many over the past couple of years as the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to wreak havoc, at times serving as a distraction and an invaluable crutch that many have turned to when seeking respite from the daily toil.
The threat of COVID still lingers,
of course, but here are some of the key sporting occasions we can look forward to in 2022.
Australia may have already retained the Ashes after their decisive third Test win in Melbourne but the remaining two Tests in January will see a wounded England playing for pride. The fourth test starts tomorrow (Jan 1) in Sydney and the final test is due to take place in Hobart from Jan 14-18.
Elsewhere in January, the Australian Open launches the international tennis calendar on Jan 17. It remains to be seen whether men’s defending champion Novak Djokovic
will be on court as the nine-time winner has declined to publicly state his vaccine status, deemed a prerequisite by authorities, leading to assumptions that he will not be there. However, Naomi Osaka will be there to defend her women’s singles title. Other tournaments of note throughout the year include the French Open at Roland Garros in May and June, Wimbledon in June and July and the US Open in August and September.
Formula One attracted a wealth of new fans in the 2021 season as the drivers championship went down
to the wire with Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen pipping rival Lewis
Hamilton of Mercedes to the title on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand
Prix in December. A bumper 23-race calendar starts in Bahrain on March
23 and fans will be delighted if the 2022 season proves anywhere near as exciting as 2021.
CONTROVERSY
Two of the biggest global sports events taking place in 2022 are both,
unfortunately, clouded in major controversy which have seen the divides between sport and politics blurred considerably.
Firstly, Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics, running from Feb 4-20, and the Paralympics in March. China has consistently been courting
controversy over a range of issues including COVID-19, human rights and territorial disputes, which has soured international relations and affected
sentiment towards the Games.
The USA, Australia, UK and Japan have all effected diplomatic boycotts
although athletes from the respective countries will still participate.
Fans will be barred from attending the Games due to COVID-19 concerns and, bizarrely for a winter
themed event, snow is having to be transported to the venues at great cost
and with detrimental environmental
consequences.
The FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar from Nov 21 to Dec 18, has
been dogged with controversy since the tournament was awarded to the tiny Gulf state, a desert nation with baking summer temperatures, no world-class stadiums, little interest in football but lots of money.
Allegations of bribery between the Qatar bid committee and FIFA executives have rumbled on and major questions have been raised about human rights, particularly regarding the 2 million migrant workers who have been tasked with building venues in extremely testing
conditions.
Likewise, Qatar’s stance on equality and homosexuality, the latter deemed an illegal act, has raised major concerns, odd as FIFA continually promotes the game as accessible to all, regardless of gender,
race, religion and so on.
Critics argue the World Cup is being used as just another cog in the
Middle East’s sport washing wheel, the practice of an individual, group, corporation or nation-state using a major or prestigious international sport to improve its reputation. Expect major fallout as the tournament
nears and takes place.
In the rugby world we have the Six Nations Rugby tournament and the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, postponed due to COVID-19, in England from Oct 15 to Nov 19.
Those of an American Football persuasion will be keeping a keen eye on Super Bowl LVI on Feb 13 in Inglewood, California.
New Zealand hosts Women’s Rugby Union World Cup, postponed
from 2021, in October and November and the ICC Women’s Cricket World
Cup in March and April.
Domestically Down Under, there
is the AFL Grand Final on Sept 24, the NRL Grand Final on Oct 2 and the Melbourne Cup on Nov 1.
Golf fanatics will be focused on the Masters at Augusta in April, the PGA Championship in May, the US Open in June and the Open at St Andrews in Scotland in July.
For running enthusiasts, there is the Tokyo Marathon in March and the Boston and London marathons in April. A date for the New York marathon has yet to be announced.
Hopping on the bike, we have the Giro d’Italia in May, the Vuelta a España in August and September and the Tour de France in July.
There is the 2022 World Athletics
Championships in Oregon, USA in July and the 22nd edition of the Com
monwealth Games in Birmingham, UK from July 28-Aug 8.
Finally, Thailand will host Badminton’s Thomas & Uber Cup finals
(May 8-15) with mixed doubles world champions Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai looking
to shine on home soil.
Whatever the preference, there are numerous fantastic events that should keep sports fans enthralled throughout 2022 – COVID permitting, of course!