Every year is an exciting one in sport and 2016 is set to be just as thrilling. There’s major footballing action lined up as well as numerous top notch cricket battles to be played out, the Rugby Union Six Nations Championship as well as the Olympics – all guaranteed to keep millions glued to their TV sets, smartphones and car radios during the year.
Euro 2016- Can Spain lift a third straight title?
The sound of football chants will ring across Europe during the summer with the start of Euro 2016 in France on the 10th of June. England has been placed in the same group as Wales and they face Russia and Slovakia with Northern Ireland set to face Germany, the Ukraine and Poland.
England manager Roy Hodgson has a young squad to take across the Channel and even though Wayne Rooney is now considered the most experienced player on the team, his current out of form situation could mean he may not be a first choice when it comes to the group matches.
Wales have their first crack at winning the tournament since 1958 and Gareth Bale will be making the trip from Real Madrid to be the main man of the team. It will be a hard fight to reach the second round but it’s perfectly possible.
Northern Ireland have waited 30 years to head to the finals of the Euro tournament and they amazed football pundits around the world by being the lowest seeded team to win their qualifying group. They have a tough group to contend with but the fans will be cheering them all the way.
Olympics- How many medals can India win?
Great Britain passes the historic torch of the Olympics to Brazil this year as the games move to Rio de Janeiro. The opening ceremony on the 5th of August will be much awaited to see if the passion and heat of South America can match the magic and theatre of the sights and sounds those at Wembley were treated to in 2012.
Key dates for those wanting to watch the fortunes for GB participants are:
6-13 Aug: Swimming and Rowing
6-16th Aug: Track and Road Cycling
11-20th Aug: Golf
12-21st Aug- Athletics
Cricket- Can India win the World T20?
The major cricketing action takes place in South Africa this year with England facing their opponents in a number of different matches. There’s a Test series taking place during January followed by a number of one-day internationals. A cricket betting guide gives all the details of the dates and venues as it’s a busy calendar which then leads to a Twenty20 international in Johannesburg in February.
Rugby Union Six Nations
The annual tournament pitting the best players of England, Scotland, Wales, France, Ireland and Italy against each other is set to begin on 6 February and culminate in what will more than likely be a nail-biting final on 19 March.
The teams which have won the competition the most number of times are Wales and England with Italy trailing in the wooden spoon position. The current holders Ireland will be looking to be reinstated as champions with their back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 giving them the psychological advantage. There’s also the Grand Slam title at stake for any team which can win all their matches; to date this has been achieved 12 times by England and 11 by Wales.
