Paris, Las Vegas and Montreal, in turn, will attract the attention of sports fans at one time or another in 2024 by presenting major events. The show is already salivating.
• Also read: The world welcomes 2024!
• Also read: What the year 2024 has in store for us at the international level
Big Olympics?
Location: Paris (France) Dates: July 26th to August 11th
Next summer, the City of Lights will take center stage when the Olympic Games take place in Paris from July 26th to August 11th. This is the third time that this major sporting meeting has taken place in Paris, after the 1900 Games and those of 1924. This return to the capital of France promises to be spectacular, but at the same time offers a more traditional nod to these modern-day international games, relaunched in 2015 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
AFP
Canada won 24 medals, including 7 gold, at the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In athletics, Damian Warner thrilled the world by winning the decathlon, while Andre De Grasse won the 200 meters. Female athletes also filled the Canadian population with pride by climbing to the highest step of the podium with their soccer team, swimmer Margaret McNeil, track cyclist Kelsey Mitchell and the eight rower, without forgetting Quebec weightlifter Maude Charron. The latter will be seen again in Paris. After missing the World Weightlifting Championships last September due to a knee injury, Charron notably won a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Chile this fall.
After the Olympics, Paris will also host the Paralympic Games from August 28th to September 8th.
Maude Charron, gold medalist at the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Dominick Gravel/QMI Agency
A colorful Super Bowl
Location: Las Vegas (USA) Date: February 11th
In Las Vegas, the capital of excess, everything can seem nicer, bigger and more spectacular. Now imagine that for the first time in 58 editions, the Super Bowl, the great event of American football, will be held in the state of Nevada… This obviously runs the risk of turning into opulence in many ways. Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, which cost nearly $2 billion to build, will host the party on February 11th. More than 70,000 spectators will be in attendance while American singer Usher will be the main star of the halftime show. Of course, while waiting to hear about the craziest promotions that will accompany the event, the rest of the NFL's activity will determine which two clubs will be in the spotlight. Will the Kansas City Chiefs, champions last February, have a chance to defend their title? The contenders looking to party in Las Vegas are numerous, to say the least.
AFP
The world figure skating elite in the Bell Center
Location: Montreal (Canada) Date: March 18th to 24th
Fans gathered at the Bell Center are not entitled to Canadian hockey games, but are entitled to attend the World Figure Skating Championships in the second half of March. More than 200 athletes from the world's elite in this discipline from around fifty countries will be there in Montreal. Japan risks taking the spotlight with Shoma Uno in the men's and Kaori Sakamoto in the women's. These Japanese athletes are each two-time reigning world champions. Canada's hopes of a podium finish rest partly on ice dancing pair Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
Kaori Sakamoto, proud representative of Japan. AFP
Euro 2024: for football fans
Location: Germany Dates: June 14th to July 14th
The next World Cup is not planned until 2026, but next year football fans will not be left out with the presentation of the European Championship 2024 in Germany. The venues for the games include the cities of Berlin, Munich, Dortmund and Stuttgart. In the main competition, which is intended exclusively for men, a total of 24 national teams from Europe have to compete, which are divided into six groups in the first round. Recall that Italy won the last edition of this European Championship in 2021 after defeating England in the final. This tournament was also postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was only the second Italian coronation in the Euro after the one in 1968.
AFP
Good baseball in Thunder Bay!
Location: Thunder Bay (Canada) Dates: July 28th to August 3rd
The world's best baseball players, including many from Quebec, are gathering in Thunder Bay, Ontario, for the Women's World Cup. In addition to the Canadian team, five other nations qualified for this final phase: Japan, the United States, Mexico, Venezuela and Taiwan. On the program: a round-robin tournament, at the end of which the two best teams will compete against each other for the championship title on August 3rd. The Japanese, who have won the previous six competitions between 2008 and 2018, are considered the big favorites. In a total of eight editions, Canada has collected two silver medals and four bronze medals.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BASEBALL CANADA
At the Royal Montreal Golf Club
Location: Montreal (Canada) Dates: September 24th to 29th
A major international PGA Tour event is also planned in the metropolitan region in 2024, i.e. in September, at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in L'Île-Bizard. This is the second time the Presidents Cup has been presented at the oldest golf club in North America. However, we can expect a more impressive event than in 2007. Jim Furyk will serve as captain of the American team, while the international team, which brings together other countries from around the world excluding those from Europe, will be led by Canadian golfer Mike Weir. The international team is aiming for its first triumph since 1998.
Mike Weir and Jim Furyk. Photo Joël Lemay / QMI Agency