Several sporting events, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup, among others, took place in 2023.
Presents to you five issues that rocked the world of sports in the year 2023:
Luis Rubiales overshadows Spain’s Women’s FIFA World Cup triumph:
Rubiales’ actions overshadowed Spain’s win over England in the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney.
Rubiales, who was Spanish Football Association president at the time, celebrated his country’s victory by grabbing his crotch while standing alongside Spain’s Queen Letizia and 16-year-old Princess Infanta Sofia in a VIP box. He later kissed Spain forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy presentation ceremony.
Hermoso said the kiss wasn’t consensual. However, after a long-running saga which included Rubiales’ mother staging a brief hunger strike, Rubiales eventually resigned from his post and was banned by FIFA from all football-related activity for three years.
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.
Carlos Alcaraz’s win at Wimbledon:
A new champion, 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.
Anthony Joshua won three fights this year:
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.
Deaths of Sir Bobby Charlton and Adam Johnson:
Tributes flooded in from the world of football following the death of Manchester United legend, Bobby Charlton in October at the age of 86. Charlton was a key member of the England squad when they won the 1966 World Cup.
On his part, Adam Johnson died at the age of 29 after an accident in an ice hockey game. According to reports, ice hockey and the wider sporting world were shocked by the death of a Nottingham Panthers’ player in what the club described as a freak accident. Johnson American died on October 28 after being hit in the neck by an opposition player’s skate during a match at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
