As the years go by, each year has its own unique characteristics, but also reflects the eternal similarities. Standing on the threshold of the years, looking back at the dawn of 2023, we can't help but ask: what are the sporting events that we should look forward to in this year?
Soccer, the world's most popular sport, always seems to dominate the sports news headlines. After the excitement of the World Cup in Qatar, the summer of 2023 will bring us the Women's World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, with Auckland kicking off the extravaganza on July 20 and Sydney setting the stage for the final on August 20th. A total of 64 matches will be played in nine cities across the two countries.
To celebrate Australia and New Zealand winning the right to host the 2023 Women's World Cup, the Sydney Opera House put on a spectacular projection show on June 25, 2020, photo by AFP/EURO.
In 2023, the Women's World Cup will welcome a new team, increasing the total number of teams to 32. In the group stage, China will face strong teams such as England and Denmark, and the road to the finish line is full of challenges. But the roses of China's women's soccer team have long proved their resilience in winning the 2022 Asian Cup.
Numerous international women's soccer players have joined overseas clubs and have raised expectations for the 2023 World Cup.
Chinese women's international player Li Mengwen shows her style during the French women's first division football match on Sept. 9, 2022, Xinhua's Gao Jing said.
Apart from the women's soccer team, the Chinese men's soccer team will also face the challenge of the 2023 Asian Cup. The Asian Cup is a rare training ground for the Chinese men's soccer team and given that they missed the World Cup in Qatar, the 2023 Asian Cup will be crucial for them. They will have to keep their feet on the ground and come out of the woods one step at a time and Qatar will witness their efforts.
In the same summer, the Men's Basketball World Cup will be co-hosted in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines. The Chinese men's basketball team has already locked up its ticket, and Aleksandar Djordjevic, as the new head coach, has already begun to look for players in the domestic league to make full preparations for the Men's Basketball World Cup.
On September 12, 2019, Djordjevic, then head coach of Serbia, left a message at the 2019 International Basketball World Cup. As a player, he won Olympic, World Cup and European Championship medals many times; as a coach, he led a number of top clubs to brilliant results. This time, the young players of the Chinese men's basketball team will show unlimited possibilities under his leadership.
From July 28 to August 8, Chengdu will host the World University Summer Games, the third time mainland China has hosted the event after Beijing and Shenzhen.
The World University Summer Games is an event for university athletes from around the world, and Chengdu, a city with a rich history, will welcome young people and athletes from all over the world with its gastronomic and cultural charms.
Hangzhou will host the Asian Games from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8, marking the second time after the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou that China will host the most important comprehensive games in the Asian region.
Hangzhou, a city famous for its beauty, will present a visual feast for guests from all over the world. This year's Asian Games has added new programs such as e-sports and breakdancing, injecting more youthful vitality into the Games.
In addition, the first National Student (Youth) Games will be held in Guangxi in 2023, where youths and students from all over the country will sweat and show their youthfulness in 67 competition events.
The World University Winter Games will be held in Lake Placid, U.S.A., from Jan. 12-22, and the individual world championships for pattern skating, speed skating, and short-track speed skating will be held in February and March.
In 2023, world and continental championships in swimming, athletics, table tennis, badminton, weightlifting and gymnastics will be staged as scheduled, providing an important stage for athletes from various countries to compete for tickets to the Paris Olympics, to hone their lineups and to get to know their opponents.
In other corners of the world, traditional events such as the Dakar Rally, the Snooker World Championships, the four Grand Slams of tennis and the Tour de France will continue to attract global attention.
In 2023, a number of integrated games will be held around the world, such as the Special World Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, the European Games in Poland, and the All-African Games in Ghana.
