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Most prestigious sports events of the world

 

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Among plethora sports events in the modern world some of them are more prestigious than others and all sportsmen aspire to get there. Such tournaments are the pinnacles of sportsmen’s career. Let us have a closer look at these events.

The most prestigious tennis events are four Grand Slam tournaments or as they are called Majors.

The year starts with Australian Open that is held in middle of January in Melbourne. The first tournament was conducted in 1905. Only 17 sportsmen participated in it at that time. The tournament was not so important until 1983 and many excellent tennis players could skip it.

Then the Grand Slam itinerary continues in May/June when the French Open, also called Roland Garros, is held Paris. It is a premier tennis championship event in the world, which is considered to be one of the hardest because of the clay court.

m_federer10_2406_feThe next sporting event that enters the list is marked as one of the most prestigious in the world. Wimbledon has been held in London since 1877 and is one of the oldest tennis tournaments. This grand spectacle is organized in a beautiful setting with chic and pomp. Wimbledon tournament is played on a natural turf ground. There are a lot of interesting traditions at Wimbledon. For instance, the competitors have to follow a strict dress code and the spectators are served with fresh strawberries and cream. Strawberries are picked the day before they are served.

The last sporting event of Grand Slam tournaments is US open that is conducted annually in Queens, in the suburb of New York City in late August and September. US Open was created in 1881. This is a hardcourt tennis tournament. In 2013 the year’s last Major had the total prize money $34,300,000.

All four Grand Slam tournaments are held over 2-week periods.

As for yachting, America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and Fastnet Race are considered to be the most famous offshore races.

Alt_m1246_AC45NZ1D16_79951America’s Cup is the oldest trophy without bottom. The Queen did not want the winner to drink from it and it was made bottomless. America’s Cup is awarded to the winner of the match races between sailing yachts. The defender (the holder of America’s Cup) and the challenger take part in it. America’s Cup trophy travels from one continent to another attracting the best sailors, yacht designers and the richest entrepreneurs who sponsor the event.

Every three years Volvo Ocean Race is conducted. The sporting event is a yacht race around the world, which is named after its sponsor. The contesters have to follow difficult routes under challenging conditions. The first globe circling races took place in 1972 but were called differently then, because England’s Whitbread company sponsored regatta at that time.

Fastnet Race is also called Rolex Fastnet Race as it is sponsored by a famous watch manufacturing company. This classic race is conducted every two years and follows the certain route along the coastline of England, crossing the Celtic Sea and going to the southwest coast of Ireland.

4Speaking about the most prestigious events, we can’t skip the Olympic Games that started their modern run at the end of the 19th century. For 2 weeks spectators can enjoy intense competitions, where sportsmen compete for gold, silver and bronze medals. There are Summer and Winter Olympic Games as some kinds of sport require snow and ice and, consequently, appropriate infrastructure. There is also fierce competition between the countries to host the Olympic Games. The same is referred to FIFA World Cup that is considered to be one of the most prestigious soccer tournaments in the world. Other tournaments of this type are UEFA Champions League, UEFA European Football Championship, The Super Bowl and UEFA Europa League.

Funs of golf watch the FedEx Cup, while the Dubai World Cup Night is a prestigious sporting event in horse racing.

The sports industry works at its full attracting billions of dollars. The names of tournaments become famous brands that are sponsored by successful companies. Though they are focused on revenues first of all and not on sports this is a good advertisement of healthy lifestyle so a reasonable commercial approach is only welcomed in this sphere.