The must-watch major sports events coming up at the beginning of 2022

The new year has kicked off and sports fiends are rubbing their hands at the prospect of 12 months of memorable sporting events. There are matches and races scheduled for all kinds of sports, from motor racing to athletics and football, hosted in venues all over the world including Munich, Germany and Melbourne, Australia, as well as of course the UK. Most will be accessible on mainstream TV and scores coverage can easily be found online (such as via an esports website here or the wide range of online media outlets). Here’s a list of some of the most important sporting events to watch in the near future.

Australian Open (tennis) – 17^th January 2022

Amid the debacle surrounding the world number one and the Covid-19 rules that led to the Australian Tennis Association sending him back home, the first grand slam of the year began this week in Melbourne. For the first time in over a decade, only one of the men’s “big three” (Djokovic, Federer, Nadal) will compete for the top prize. The favourites to win in the men’s singles are Medvedev, Zverev and Tsitsipas, but with the man who dominated the tournament for the past 14 years missing, anything could happen. Currently, top picks for the women’s tournament are Ash Barty, Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek.

Winter Olympics (various sports) – 4^th– 20^th February 2022

Across the Pacific in Beijing, China, February hails the start of the Winter Olympics. With a record number of events (109) and 15 different disciplines in seven sports, it’s set to be a big one, but widespread criticism levelled at various political and humanitarian issues in China has led to calls to boycott the event, with diplomatic boycotts announced by the US, Australia, the UK, Lithuania, Japan, Denmark, Canada, Belgium, Kosovo and Estonia so far. Norway is currently expected to top the medals table for the second time in a row, with the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in second place. Britain is expected to win three medals in mixed curling (gold), men’s curling (silver) and women’s snowboarding (gold).

Moto GP Grand Prix of Qatar – 6^th March 2022

Car and motorcycle racing fans are in for a treat this March, with the two biggest competitions coming back for the new season. Last year Fabio Quartaro was the first ever Frenchman to take home the world championship title, ending a streak that saw Spanish drivers dominating Moto GP for the past decade. All eyes will be on the three big players – Ducati, Honda and Yamaha – as well as the debut of Valentino Rossi’s racing team VR46.

Formula 1 Bahrain – 18^th – 20^th March 2022

After the most incredible season in recent history, with a heart-stopping climax that caused endless debate between the fans of Red Bull and Mercedes, the F1 world championship is set to resume on 20^th March with the Bahrain Grand Prix. British F1 icon Lewis Hamilton currently tops predictions for the winner, with Belgian-Dutch competition Max Verstappen (son of former Formula One driver Jos Verstappen) hot on his heels, and fellow Brit George Russell close behind.

The editorial unit