Sport
Unmissable Sporting Events in 2022
We can finally start making travel plans and get excited about upcoming vacations as borders slowly open and travel becomes a reality. If you’re looking for ideas of how to boost the value of a trip by combining it with a big event, here are some ideas.
Whether you want to travel in 2022 to the far corners of the world or the near ones, here are our highlights of five events from around the globe for travellers to get ideas and inspiration for a memorable trip. This year, there are countless memorable events happening north to south, east to west, and everywhere in between.
1• Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon
The tournament is taking place a year later than scheduled due to the pandemic, and many of its biggest names were expected to miss it because of the same reason. It appears that European clubs were deeply concerned when Omicron variants emerged, but it’s clear they’ll be in Cameroon when action begins.
Therefore Mohamed Salah, Victor Osimhen and Achraf Hakimi will all be there. The Algerian team is looking to defend the title they won in Egypt two years ago, so the European-based player Riyad Mahrez is particularly excited to participate.
2• Women’s Cricket World Cup, New Zealand
A women’s cricket championship has finally been scheduled after being postponed by 13 months due to the pandemic. England will begin the defence of their Ashes title against Australia in Hamilton less than a month after completing the Ashes series; this series includes one Test match, five limited-overs matches, and three one-day games. The final will take place at Hagley Oval in Christchurch after 31 matches played over 31 days.
3• World Cup, Qatar
The year ends with the most controversial tournament of the year. First men’s football World Cup ever held in the northern hemisphere winter, and one marked by controversy over the host country’s human rights record.
Once the action begins, much of that will be forgotten, and England has a genuine chance of building on what they did at this summer’s European Championship. Sadly, only one of the home nations, Scotland or Wales, has a chance of making it to Qatar for the play-offs in March because they were drawn in the same section.
4• Winter Olympics, Beijing
The build-up to the Games has been dominated by matters other than snow and ice. A number of nations, including the UK, have adopted the same stance after the US government announced earlier this month that it wouldn’t be sending diplomatic representatives to China over its human rights record.
In response, Chinese officials have hit back, and the escalating war of words threatens to overshadow the sport itself. In that regard, Team GB will travel to Beijing in high spirits, with Laura Deas, who won bronze in skeleton at Pyeongchang 2018, expected to perform well.
5• Australian Open, Australia
Could Novak Djokovic win a record 21st major title in Melbourne? Since tournament director Craig Tiley announced unvaccinated players will not be allowed to compete at the first grand slam of the year, that question has dominated the buildup.
Vaccination status has remained a secret for Djokovic, believing he has yet to receive a jab, which would make him ineligible for the event. Although Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament after citing a lack of tournament fitness, the Serb has been entered into the tournament and should be there.
There are other great events that take place in Australia, and Australians are known for being very passionate about their sport. An honourable mention has to go to the Melbourne Cup, which takes place in Victoria, Australia, on the first Tuesday of November every year. This is one of the most popular horse racing events in the world, and all Victorians even get a public holiday to celebrate and find the best Melbourne Cup tips.
Final Thoughts
Several other sporting events are scheduled to take place in 2022, but it’s difficult to include them all in this short article. However, we have listed some of the top events that shouldn’t be missed in 2022. Is there any sport you are interested in that we have missed in 2022? Please let us know.
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