Australian Open (Jan 14-28)
Rafael Nadal must win the Australian Open on one hip and Naomi Osaka months after giving birth. Novak Djokovic fans will sneer. Their man is aiming to win as many Opens as Bjorn Borg has Grand Slam titles (11). Who can stop this Serb saint? An Italian Sinner named Jannik, maybe. Iga Swiatek has no mercy in her talented heart and will smother the rest. Still, nothing is guaranteed, except that Nick Kyrgios will offend someone. This time from the commentators’ box.
– Rohit Brijnath
Asian Cup (Jan 12-Feb 10)
Football can be such a cruel and twisted sport and the Asian Cup will show just why. South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann will inspire the Taegeuk Warriors to the country’s first Asian Cup triumph since 1960. The German and captain Son Heung-min will be shedding tears, not just because of South Korea’s success in Qatar, but also because Son’s absence is likely to cause Tottenham Hotspur to finish outside the English Premier League’s top four.
– Deepanraj Ganesan
Formula One (season opener on March 2)
The Chinese calendar will tell you that 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, but no one in Formula One expects anything other than another year of the bull. Red Bull that is. The team won 21 of 22 races in 2023, with Max Verstappen accounting for 19. Bahrain is the season opener and for the sake of the sport, Ferrari or Mercedes need to demonstrate they are capable of grabbing the bull by the horns. As for Lewis Hamilton, it’s been two years since he’s won a race. Surely that drought has to end at some point?
– Jonathan Wong
LIV Golf Singapore (May 3-5)
Jon Rahm versus Brooks Koepka is the kind of headline act you would expect at the Masters or one of golf’s Majors. But LIV’s determination to grow its stable of superstars is only good news for fans here when the circuit, with other heavyweights like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith, returns to Singapore in May. With another four months to go, there’s always room at Sentosa Golf Club for another big name.
– Jonathan Wong
Euro 2024 (June 14-July 14)
It’s coming home... no, it really is. And ironically, it’ll be the duo who are playing their club football outside their home country who will help England win Euro 2024 for their first major piece of silverware since 1966. With Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham in spectacular form, you better start rehearsing that famous jingle. Altogether now, “It’s...”
– Deepanraj Ganesan
Olympics (July 26-Aug 11)
The French, once complainers about the Games, will boast about the “greatest” Olympics. Local judoka Teddy Riner, 100+kg, will win a fourth gold. No rival will use his nickname. Teddy Bear. Leotard-wearing weightlifters will be puzzled by baggy pant-clad breakers. China will top the medal table, on which Singapore will feature. It’s Paris, epic stuff happens. A hundred years earlier, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell created such a stir in that city that they made a movie about it. Chariots Of Fire.
– Rohit Brijnath
Paralympics (Aug 28-Sept 8)
Swimmer Toh Wei Soong should consider getting a bigger display cabinet for his growing collection of medals. The 25-year-old had a bountiful 2023 and will be looking to add more golds to his collection in Paris. Archer Nur Syahidah Alim has also been in fine form and will want to set things right after crashing out in the 1/8 elimination round at Tokyo 2020.
– Melvyn Teoh
WTA Finals (Nov 3-10)
No more tequila – we mean tennis – hangovers in Mexico. The 2023 event was plagued by complaints of poor organisation, a tiny temporary stadium and a main court built on top of a golf course, which produced uneven bounces. Aryna Sabalenka demanded more respect and a new venue. We reckon Saudi Arabia will be a more well-oiled organiser. And since we are continent-hopping, we are tipping Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur for a breakthrough season in terms of Grand Slams.
– David Lee
Valorant Champions (TBC)
2023 was a year of what could have been for Singapore on the Valorant front. Paper Rex finished second at the Valorant Champions and Team SMG fell short, finishing fourth at the Game Changers Championship. We hope to see a Singapore team finally lift a major trophy in e-sports, with our best hope being in Valorant.
– Melvyn Teoh
Asean Football Federation Championship (TBC)
Pep Guardiola, Zinedine Zidane, Enzo Maresca... Alex Weaver? Maybe Singapore football is looking at things wrong, maybe all it needs is a bald or balding European coach to shake things up and move the Lions in the right direction. After all, they feel freer to use the “hairdryer treatment” on the players. Or perhaps fellow contender, Japan’s Tsutomu Ogura, could be the one to turn it on? Silverware we don’t care, a first final since 2012 would also be a stretch, but we are hoping the new Lions tamer can rebuild a sense of football identity with the national team.
– David Lee
Women’s sports
The wages for female athletes to continue to move towards parity with that of their male counterparts in 2024. While several women’s sports have made great strides in 2023, some uncomfortable truths have also emerged in the treatment of female athletes, for instance in football, and it is crucial for the development of the women’s game that they are not taken lightly. Progress, after all, comes not just in the form of glitzy and well-produced tournaments, but also in ensuring that players are compensated fairly and feel safe playing the sport they love.
– Kimberly Kwek
Mental health
It is a big year for athletes and all eyes will be on stars like Simone Biles, Caeleb Dressel and Naomi Osaka, all of whom are making comebacks after taking some time out to focus on their well-being. As exciting as it is to watch Biles perform her gravity-defying stunts, Dressel dominate the pool and Osaka’s powerful shots, let us not forget that they are human too. With elite athletes becoming more open about the mental health challenges they face, it is equally important to normalise these conversations and support for athletes in this area.
– Kimberly Kwek
