HAMBURG (dpa) – It may not be an Olympic year, but there’s still action a-plenty. The election of International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch’s successor and the World Athletics Championships’ debut on the American continent top a packed year of sports for 2001.
Samaranch has reigned over the Olympic committee since 1980. The 80-year-old Spaniard has experienced the magical moments of 12 Summer or Winter Games as well as various scandals, including the bribes- for-votes scam surrounding the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
He will step down and his successor will be elected at the 112th IOC full assembly meeting on July 16 in Moscow. An early favourite for the post is Belgian Jacques Rogge.
The year will see the American continent get its first taste of the athletics world championships when the best track and field athletes compete in Edmonton from August 3-12.
The highlight in Canada will likely be American Marion Jones’ second attempt to win five athletics titles after she claimed three gold medals and two bronze at September’s Olympic Games in Sydney.
This year will also see hundreds of qualification matches be played worldwide for the 2002 football World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
The campaign will culminate with the draw of the eight four-nation groups on December 1 in the South Korean city Pusan.
Japan and South Korea will have a dry run for the 2002 football spectacle when they host the Confederations Cup tournament from May 30 to June 10.
Skiing takes centre stage in late January and early February with the world championships at the Swiss ski resort of St. Anton.
Norway’s men will try to defend their first place at the 1999 worlds in Vail, Colorado. But the Austrians have been dominating the current world cup season, primarily overall and super-G leader Hermann Maier, who snatched two wins and two bronzes in 1999.
The Austrian women would love to defend their nine medals from Vail.
The Nordic Ski competitors meanwhile battle it out in February’s world championships in Lahti, Finland, and the biathlon worlds take place in Pokljuka, Slovenia.
Italian racing giants Ferrari needed to wait 21 years for their last year’s drivers’ title, but German defending champion Michael Schumacher hopes to claim career title number four in the Formula One which kicks off in early March with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
The Malaysian Grand Prix will host the second F1 race after staging a meaningless final race last season after Schumacher had clinched the drivers’ title in the penultimate race.
Japan will welcome the best swimmers and table tennis players in the world this year, hosting world championships in July and April, respectively.
European club football’s top two titles will be decided in May – the UEFA Cup final May 16 in Dortmund and the Champions League final in Milan on May 23.
Tiger Woods is expected to lead America’s best golfers against the best Europe have to offer in August’s Ryder Cup at The Belfry golf course near Birmingham, England.
Tennis’ season-ending tournaments have both found new homes for 2001. The men’s ATP tour will finish up in Sydney in mid-November after Lisbon hosted the 2000 edition.
The women’s final will move to the southern German city Munich for the next five years after 24 years in New York.
But New York will host a major tournament in 2001, the wrestling world championships in August.
The year may be without an Olympic Games or football World Cup, but a total of 50 world championships and an new IOC boss should prove enough for any sports fan.
