Several sporting events, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup, among others, took place in 2023. Here are some of the events/issues that rocked the world of sports in year 2023:

Spain win the FIFA Women’s World Cup

Spain defeated England 1-0 in the final to lift their first FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy. Their World Cup triumph, however, marred by the actions of Luis Rubiales, the then president of the Spanish Football Association (RFEF), who kissed Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso. Rubiales was banned from all football-related activities for three years by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee.

Australia dominates both men’s and women’s cricket:

Australia reigned supreme in the world of cricket after both their men’s and women’s team won world titles this year. They defeated the host teams to clinch their respective titles. The men’s team won the ICC Cricket World Cup by beating hosts and favourites team India, ending their unbeaten record, while the women’s team won the ICC T20 World Cup by beating South Africa in their home turf.

Alcaraz’s win at Wimbledon:

A new champion, Carlos Alcaraz, emerged in the world of tennis. The 20-year-old defeated Novak Djokovic to earn his second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this year. He became the first player to beat Djokovic on Centre Court in a decade since Andy Murray back in the 2013 final. As a result, Alcaraz halted Djokovic’s chances of equalling Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles. Alcaraz also became the third youngest player to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title, behind only Boris Becker and Björn Borg.

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LeBron James becomes NBA’s all-time highest scorer

The first major event of 2023 probably took place in the NBA. It was when LeBron James became NBA’s all-time leading scorer. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record of 38,387 points during a match against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Denver Nuggets win their first NBA title

Powered by Nikola Jokic’s sensational performances, the Denver Nuggets succeeded in winning their maiden NBA title. The Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in the finals.

Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic equalled Margaret Court’s all-time record of most singles Grand Slam titles – 24 – at the US Open. Apart from this, Djokovic also made the year memorable by surpassing Steffi Graf’s record to emerge as the only player, male or female, to remain at the top of the world rankings for a record-breaking 378 weeks. He took that tally past 400 weeks by the end of the year.

… equals Margaret Court’s Grand Slam record

Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic equalled Margaret Court’s all-time record of most singles Grand Slam titles – 24 – at the US Open. Apart from this, Djokovic also made the year memorable by surpassing Steffi Graf’s record to emerge as the only player, male or female, to remain at the top of the world rankings for a record-breaking 378 weeks. He took that tally past 400 weeks by the end of the year.

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South Africa win the Rugby World Cup

South Africa successfully defended their men’s Rugby World Cup title by getting the better of New Zealand 11-12 in October. The Springboks won a third successive knockout match in the competition by a point and add to their titles in 1995, 2007 and 2019.

PGA Tour agrees merger with LIV Golf

The major event that took place in golf this year was the merger of PGA Tour, European Tour and rival Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit. The big announcement was made in June this year.

Max Verstappen wins 19 of 22 races in the season

In Formula 1, the best performer of the season was Max Verstappen. Red Bull’s triple world champion capped off the glorious season with a win at the Abu Dhabi, securing a record-extending 19th victory of the campaign. Overall, Red Bull won 21 of 22 races this season, with Sergio Perez emerging victorious on two occasions.

Women footballers seek equal pay like their male counterparts

There was so much that was ugly around the Women’s World Cup, making the successes of the tournament all the more impressive. It was evident before a ball was kicked, as teams protested over inequalities, inequity, unpaid wages and poor conditions. In the run-up to the tournament, Canada’s players threatened strike action over what they perceived as discriminatory treatment, Zambia battled (and continue to battle) unpaid wages and bonuses, South Africa players boycotted a pre-tournament friendly over unpaid bonuses, England players called out the Football Association after talks over performance-related bonuses broke down, Nigeria threatened to boycott their first opening match of the tournament over unpaid bonuses and later spoke of the conditions around their campaign which included having to share beds, and four days into the tournament Australia players called for equal prize money with the men’s World Cup.

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Morocco’s Benzina

Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina became the first woman to wear a hijab in a match at the World Cup as the debutants made the last 16. Then there was the outstanding arrival on the world stage of Colombia’s 18-year-old Linda Caicedo who, days after collapsing in training, scored the first goal in a 2-1 shock victory against Germany as her team worked their way into the knockout rounds. Add the stunning form of Japan until they were halted by Sweden at the quarter-final stage and there was some sumptuous football played.

Lionel Messi joins Inter Miami

Arguably most shocking development from the football world this year was Lionel Messi signing for the Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami. Having capped off a stellar outing in European football, the Argentina legend joined American side Inter Miami during the summer transfer window.

Manchester City win a historic treble

Manchester City came up with an impressive series of performances to win a historic treble in the 2022-23 season. Manchester City defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League final to complete a remarkable treble. It was only the 10th occasion when a European outfit won a treble and first since 1999 for an English side.

Kohli surpasses Sachin Tendulkar for most ODI centuries

India batter Virat Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most ODI centuries. Kohli achieved this magnificent feat by bringing up his 50th ODI ton against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final in Mumbai.

AFCON/WAFCON tickets

Another highlight in Nigerian football was the qualification of both the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons for next year’s AFCON and WAFCON tournaments respectively. Osimhen emerged as the top scorer in the AFCON qualifiers, leading Nigeria to the top of their group with 15 points.

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However, the Super Eagles failed embarrassingly 1-0 to Guinea Bissau in Abuja, in the course of qualification for the AFCON.

The Super Falcons secured their spot in the WAFCON after a convincing 7-1 aggregate victory against Cape Verde.

Joshua returns to winning ways

Anthony Joshua, the renowned heavyweight boxer, showed his resilience in 2023. Despite losing his titles in 2022, he bounced back with two impressive wins. In August, he knocked out Robert Helenius in the seventh round, and in April, he defeated Jermaine Franklin by unanimous decision. Although he didn’t silence all his critics, these victories marked his return to the winning path.

Joshua on Dec. 23, won his third fight of this year, with a TKO win over Otto Wallin. The bout was billed as the main event of the “Day of Reckoning” card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Joshua had secured victories over Jermaine Franklin in April and Robert Helenius in August. This is coming after Joshua lost his WBA, WBO and IBF belts, after losing twice to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022.

Amusan’s travails, her Golden Diamond triumphs

Tobi Amusan, a track and field athlete and former world champion in the women’s 100 metres hurdles faced adversity before the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. After being provisionally suspended for three whereabouts test failures, she was cleared to compete just two days before the event. Although she couldn’t defend her title, she showcased her resilience by winning the Diamond League title for the third consecutive year.

Quadri retains African title

Quadri Aruna, a table tennis star, showcased his dominance at the ITTF Africa Senior Championships. He successfully defended his title by defeating Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh in the men’s singles final. This victory marked his third continental title and solidified his position as one of Africa’s top table tennis players.
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