The year in sports: 2018
2018 is not only the year of the World Cup and the Olympic Games. A host of European championships and a new Formula 1 season all add to the promise of the upcoming sporting year.
Euro Croatia 2018
The first major event of 2018 comes in Croatia, which is hosting the European handball championship from January 12 to 28. Germany, who play their group-stage matches in the capital, Zagreb, will be up against Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia. Split, Varazdin and Porec are the other host cities for Euro Croatia 2018.
Super Bowl
February 4 is one of the biggest days on the sporting calender in the United States it is the Sunday on which this season's Super Bowl ist o be played. The match, to be played in Minneapolis, is expected to attract a viewing audience in the hundreds of millions. For many, the match is secondary to the halftime show, in which American singer Justin Timberlake is to perform.
Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang
The Winter Olympic Games are to be held from February 9 to 25 in the South Korean region of Pyeongchang. American Lindsey Vonn (photo) will be going for the second Olympic gold medal of her career. Notable by their absence will be players from the National Hockey League, as well as Russian athletes found guilty of doping. Russian athletes deemed to be clean are to compete under the Olympic flag.
Paralympics 2018
Two weeks after the Winter Olympics it will be time for the Paralympians to show their stuff. This is to be the last Olympics for German monoskier Anna Schaffelhuber (photo). The paraplegic will be looking to add to her six Paralympic medals, five gold and one bronze.
Formula One
Formula One motor racing returns in March and there is plenty of reason to think that next year's drivers' championship will be decided between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton's teammate at Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas and both Red Bull drivers are also expected to make some noise.
IIHF World Championship
Denmark have been improving in ice hockey in recent years and from May 4-20 the Scandinavian country is to host the IIHF World Championship for the first time. The matches are to be played at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen and the Jyske Bank Boen in Herning. From the semifinals, all of the matches are to be in Copenhagen.
World Cup
Flashback: Mario Götze is not the only one who will probably never forget his goal that won Germany the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. Will he be celebrating again four years later? We'll have to watch the 2018 World Cup in Russia to find out (June 14 – July 15). Germany are up against Mexico, Sweden and South Korea in Group F.
Tour de France
The 105th edition of the Tour de France is to be the shortest of the 21st century. The race starts with the Grand Depart in the Vendée department, in the region of Pays de la Loire. The climbs are to include the Alpe d'Huez and the Col de Tourmalet and for the first time in decades the Tour is to include a section of unpaved roads and more than 20 kilometers of cobblestones.
European Championships (multi-sport event)
Some 1,600 athletes are to compete for the medals at the European Athletics Championships at Berlin's Olympic Stadium from August 2-12. This is to be part of the first "European Championships (multi-sport event)," which are to be held concurrently in Glasgow. These are to feature aquatics, cycling, golf, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon.
World Chess Championship
Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is to put his title on the line at the World Chess Championship in London between November 9 and 28. Carlsen first won the title in 2013 and defended it against Indian challenger Viswanathan Anand in 2014 and Russia's Sergey Karjakin two years later. His challenger in this years world championship is yet to be determined.