World is their stage
Spotlight
From Jamaica to Japan and from Argentina to Australia, gold will be the goal in the Olympic year
Four years ago in Beijing, stars of the sporting world took a pledge to meet again on the same stage, to renew their friendship and rivalries and to chase new goals and more gold. The time to honour that commitment arrives this year when London plays host to the Games of the 30th Olympiad in July.
A plethora of events in a multitude of disciplines dot the 2012 calendar but the action elsewhere will take a backseat come July 27 when the curtain goes up for an event that celebrates the spirit of sport like no other.
The build-up and preparations for the event have already begun in several sports and in the months leading up to London, they will hit fever-pitch.
Post-Beijing, many a star chose to lie low, taking a much-needed break from the exhausting training schedules that took them to Olympian heights. The new season will see them hitting the straps for the final push, going the extra mile for that exhilarating moment when gold meets the lips.
For the likes of Michael Phelps, despite the gold he minted at Beijing and Athens, London will still offer challenges galore, with the most successful Olympian ever eager to protect his territory and pride. The American’s rivals have not been resting easy, with the pre-Olympic season already having thrown up worthy competitors who can test the champion’s mettle.
Like Phelps, a burning desire to excel will drive another champion performer competing in the fast lane of an altogether different sport. Usain Bolt has three gold medals from Beijing at his home but the Jamaican reckons to become a legend, he needs to achieve more. After suffering a jolt in Daegu, South Korea, last year, Bolt certainly won’t take it easy when he lines up at the brand-new venue in London.
The Games that create and sustain the legends also is a birthplace of young stars and already around the world, they have started to make their presence felt in qualifying competitions and build-up events that double up as sparring sessions. As in previous Games, London too will witness new stars emerge as well as some old ones fade. Brace up for the gold rush then...!
Athletics
* The Olympic Games is the highlight of the athletics season and building up to it is a series of top class meetings on the Diamond League circuit. Also on the calendar this year is the World Indoor Championships, with Istanbul playing host to the event in March.
* Diamond League:
May 11: Doha
May 19: Shanghai
May 31: Rome
June 2: Eugene, Oregon
June 7: Oslo
June 9: New York
June 28: Lausanne
July 6: Paris
July 13-14: London
July 21: Monaco
Aug 17: Stockholm
Aug 23: Lausanne
Aug 26: Birmingham
Aug 30: Zurich
* Other meets:
March 8-11: World Indoor, Istanbul, Turkey
July 10-15: World Juniors, Barcelona
Formula One
* The 2012 Formula One season will be more about teams trying their best to do what they failed to do by quite a margin this year: tame Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel. The German was on top of his game during the eighteen-race season, but the new season will be a tough one to crack for ‘Baby Schumi’. While Red Bull Racing will be clear favourites with Australian Mark Webber also in the fray, eternal favourites Ferrari will look to fire through Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, who were less than impressive in 2011. The McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were the only ones to really challenge RBR, and by the looks of it, will do the same in 2012. Amongst the mid-markers, Force India seems to have made good progress through the years and 2012 could just be their year on the podium.
New cars, new drivers, a new circuit (USA) and newer ambitions are going to make this season as memorable as the one before.
March 18: Australian GP (Melbourne)
March 25: Malaysian GP (Kuala Lumpur)
April 15: Chinese GP (Shanghai)
April 22: Bahrain GP (Sakhir)
May 13: Spanish GP (Catalunya)
May 27: Monaco GP (Monte Carlo)
June 10: Canadian GP (Montreal)
June 24: GP of Europe (Valencia)
July 8: British GP (Silverstone)
July 22: German GP: (Hockenheim)
July 29: Hungarian GP (Budapest)
Sept 2: Belgian GP (Spa-Francorchamps)
Sept 9: Italian GP (Monza)
Sept 23: Singapore GP (Singapore)
Oct 7: Japanese GP (Suzuka)
Oct 14: Korean GP (Yeongam)
Oct 28: Indian GP (New Delhi)
Nov 4: Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Marina)
Nov 18: United States GP (Austin)
Nov 25: Brazilian GP (São Paulo)
Cricket
* After the dramatics of 2011 which included the 50-over World Cup, the World T20 in Sri Lanka is the biggest global competition of the new year, While India play a majority of their Test cricket on home soil, the showdown of the year will be when world number one England host South Africa between July and September.
Jan 17-Feb 25: Pakistan vs England
(3 Tests, 4 ODIs, 2 T20s)
Feb 3-14: New Zealand vs Zimbabwe
(3 ODIs, 2 T20s)
Feb 5-March 8: Tri-series
(Australia, India and Sri Lanka)
Feb 25-Mar 25: New Zealand vs S Africa
(3 ODIs, 3 Tests)
March 12-22: Asia Cup, Bangladesh
(India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh)
March 16-April 27: Windies vs Australia
(5 ODIs, 3 Tests)
May 17-June 22: England vs West Indies
(3 Tests, 3 ODIs)
June 29-July 10: England vs Australia
(5 ODIs)
July 19-Sept 12: England vs South Africa
(3 Tests, 5 ODIs, 3 T20s).
Sept 18-Oct 7: World T20, Sri Lanka
Golf
* Having announced himself in a big way at the US Open Championships and with many touting him as the next big thing, Rory McIlroy will the be one to watch in another season of musical chairs. Luke Donald, who created history by becoming the first player to top the money on both sides of the Atlantic while securing the number one ranking in the process, will strive to win the elusive major. However, the wounded Tiger Woods, who bounced back to winning ways late in the year, will have only thing on his mind, add another major to his stagerring 14.
April 5-8: Augusta Masters, Georgia
June 14-17: US Open, San Francisco, CA
July 19-22: The Open, Lytham St Annes
Aug 9-12: PGA Championship, S Carolina
Hockey
* Four years ago, India endured the most embarrassing moment in their history when they failed to make it to the Olympic Games for the first time in history. A chance to make amends arrives in February when the first qualifying tournament for the London Games is held in New Delhi. The Indian team’s preparations have been hit by the wranglings in the national hockey bodies over the World Series Hockey and other issues. But if they don’t grab the chance on offer in Delhi, it will be a dead end for the sport in the country.
Feb 18-26: Olympic qualifiers I, Delhi
March 10-18: Oly qualifiers II, Dublin
April 25-May 6: Oly qualifers III, Japan
Dec 1-9: Champions Trophy, Australia.
Tennis
* Novak Djokovic was the man of the year in 2011 and despite a late slump, he will be back with renewed energy. Rafael Nadal suffered most at the hands of Djokovic and the new season will give him a chance to regain his status. Roger Federer too won’t be sitting idle, meaning the starcast is ideal for some high voltage contests. The same cannot be said about the women’s game but Petra Kvitova’s rise does bring some much-needed star power. And if Serena Williams can regain fitness, the standards should automatically rise.
Jan 16-29: Australian Open
Feb 10-12: Davis Cup first round
March 2-4: Davis Cup first round
April 6-8: Davis Cup quarterfinals
May 27 to June 10: French Open
June 25 to July 8: Wimbledon
August 27 to Sept 9: US Open
Nov 2-4: Fed Cup final
Nov 16-18: Davis Cup final
Badminton
* By her own high standards, Saina Nehwal had a below-par season, with just one title falling in her bag. Injuries and a brief break-up with her coach P Gopichand did not help matters.
Right at the end of the season, Saina showed she was getting back into groove, entering the title round of the Super Series Finals. This year will be vital for Saina as she targets a medal at the London Olympic Games. She reached the quarterfinals at the Beijing Olympics before squandering her chances and bowing out. Her big match temperament will be tested to the hilt in London and Saina has enough preparatory tournaments to be ready for it.
Jan 3-8: Korea Open
Mar 6-11: All England Championships
April 24-29: India Open
June 12-17: Indonesia Open
June 19-24: Singapore Open
Sept 18-23: Japan Open
Oct 16-21: Denmark Open
Oct 23-28: French Open
Nov 13-18: China Open
Nov 20-25: Hong Kong Open
Dec 11-16: India International Challenge
Football
* The biggest names in European football will be sharpening their skills for the continent’s showpiece event, the Euro 2012, being hosted by Ukraine and Poland. No big teams have missed the bus and football fans can look forward to action aplenty, with the final scheduled at Kiev, Ukraine on July 1.
The Allianz Arena in Munich will be the venue of the Champions League final.
June 8- July 1: Euro 2012
(In Ukraine & Poland)
May 19: Champions League final
(Allianz Arena in Munich)
