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Sport returned to normal in 2022, but politics continued to play a leading role.
Two of the biggest stories ended the year, with world tennis number one Novak Djokovic expelled from Australia for his opposition to covid-19 vaccination, while the World Cup in Qatar drew attention to sport’s human rights responsibilities.
A winter World Cup has been a good fortune on the pitch, with surprises, dramas and exciting matches, but at an abundant cost to the migrant staff tasked with building the infrastructure and amid accusations of sports laundering.
How the game responds to countries with restrictive regimes will be a debate that will continue in the year and beyond.
The Saudi-funded LIV Golf series has attracted some of the biggest names and threatened to wreck the game, while Formula 1’s relations with Middle Eastern countries have been a source of rancor.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also left the game in trouble. Russia’s teams and their Belarusian best friend were excluded at all levels, but the games reacted to individual athletes from both nations.
Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association agreed to their decision, at the government’s request, to ban Russian and Belarusian players.
The ATP and WTA responded through qualification issues at Wimbledon, while both organizations received hefty fines, putting them in a very tricky position for next summer as the war seems to have no sign of ending.
Meanwhile, the rugby union found itself in a monetary mess when Wasps and Worcester called the administrators.
On the pitch, the World Cup was the biggest in a series of main events, as the game held up after two years of Covid-related interruptions.
England and Wales left Qatar earlier than they expected, but there was plenty of luck for the local nations to celebrate the year.
The Lionesses took the lead with their brilliant European Championship triumph, culminating in a definitive victory over Germany and England’s biggest name in overseas football since 1966.
Record crowds turned out for matches across England and there was a positive domino effect in the Women’s Super League, with groups employing Premier League stadiums at the World Cup.
In the men’s match, Liverpool won either domestic cup but fell short in its two main goals, beating Manchester City in the Premier League on an eventful day and Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
England’s year of cricket began with another Ashes hit in Australia, but advanced significantly after the appointment of Brendon McCullum as head coach and Ben Stokes as captain and attacking cricket.
Series victories followed against South Africa and New Zealand and, historically, Pakistan, while England beat Pakistan to win the T20 World Cup, giving them ownership of the first two white ball trophies.
At the Beijing Winter Olympics, which were held under strict Covid restrictions, British curlers provided the medals, with the men winning silver and Eve Muirhead the gold.
Excitement greeted the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, while British middle- and long-distance runners demonstrated their prowess on the world stage, with Jake Wightman winning gold in the 1500m at the World Championships and Keely Hodgkinson, Laura Muir and Eilish McColga having seasons. .
It was largely what the autumn rugby glut might have been for England, as the women sadly missed out on victory at the Union World Cup and both men and women fell in the semi-finals of the league’s World Cups at home.
There was victory, however, for the stars of the English wheelchair rugby league, who beat France in the final and won many enthusiasts along the way.
Other British winners included Ronnie O’Sullivan, who won the seventh world snooker championship at the age of 46, heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, who beat Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, and US Open golf champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
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