2024 sports calendar has Olympics, Copa América and Eurocup – 01/01/2024 – Sport

The 2024 sports calendar’s biggest highlight is the Paris edition of the Olympic Games, from July 26th to August 11th. Then, from August 28th to September 8th, the Paralympic Games take place, in which Brazil stands out among the powers.

The country should reach the main sporting competition with real chances of gold medals in various disciplines, supported by names that stood out in their respective areas in 2023.

Among them, gymnast Rebeca Andrade, who won five medals at the World Championships in Antwerp, including a gold in vault, is one of the favorites. She beat the American Simone Biles in the final and won four other medals — two of them gold, at the Pan American Games.

Filipe Toledo, who became two-time world champion and maintained Brazil’s hegemony in surfing, and the young Rayssa Leal, who at just 15 years old already holds a world title and an Olympic silver, are also among the country’s biggest hopes for gold medals. .

Hugo Calderano, fifth best table tennis player in the world and three-time Pan-American champion, is another who arrives in Paris with a chance of a podium. In the last edition of the Games, in Tokyo, Calderano had the best result in the country in the sport and reached the quarterfinals.

Brazilian judo, which had the best performance in history in the competition at the Pan American Games, will arrive in Paris betting on Olympic medalists and world champions Rafaela Silva and Mayra Aguiar.

Copa América, Eurocup and African Cup of Nations

In national team football, the Copa América in the United States, held between June and July, could be Lionel Messi’s last major competition. He will defend his 2021 achievement, when he beat Brazil in the final, at Maracanã.

The Brazilian team, which is going through an institutional crisis, will have to compete in the tournament without the presence of Neymar, who is injured, and with doubts about who will be the coach on the bench.

After the continental tournament, Brazil resumes its participation in the Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Currently in sixth place, the team will face Ecuador and Paraguay.

On the Old Continent, Germany will host the European Championship, with Italy looking for a second title. In the last edition, in 2020, the Azzurri got the better of England at Wembley Stadium, in London, and took the cup after the penalty shootout.

France, with star Kylian Mbappé, and Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo, should also be in the fight for the title.

The African Cup of Nations also takes place at the beginning of this year, which will be held in Côte d’Ivoire. The competition was scheduled to take place between June and July 2023, but was postponed after the African country suffered from torrential rains during the period.

Palmeiras, Manchester City and Saudi League

In Brazilian football, after winning the Paulista and Brasileiro in 2023, Palmeiras and the jewel Endrick will be in the spotlight, with promises that Flamengo and Atlético-MG will bring reinforcements to compete for national protagonism.

In European football, Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are the team to beat. The English club won the triple crown last season: Champions League, English Championship and FA Cup.

For the first time, the final stretch of the Saudi Championship also attracts attention here, a feat achieved after Saudi Arabia invested in reinforcements and took a legion of stars to compete in the tournament.

Rivals fight to overtake Verstappen in F1 and Nuggets in the NBA

In F1, all the attention will be on Max Verstappen, who dominated the last three seasons and secured his third championship with Red Bull. Seven-time English champion Lewis Hamilton, who saw the Dutchman interrupt his dominance in the category since 2021, once again has the challenge of getting Mercedes back on track.

In the NBA, the big teams strengthened themselves in an attempt to face the current champion Denver Nuggets, led by Serbian center Nikola Jokic. In the most notable transaction, the Milwaukee Bucks acquired Damian Lillard, one of the greatest offensive forces in the sport.

Veteran LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers also appear as one of the main contenders for the title, after becoming champions of the new short-term tournament created this year to increase the league’s appeal at the start of the season.

In tennis, attention will be focused on world number 1, Novak Djokovic, as well as the return to the circuit of Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who was away in the second half of 2023 to recover from injuries.

In the women’s category, Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, who ended the year in 11th position in the world rankings, following important achievements such as the WTA Elite Trophy titles and the semifinals at Roland Garros, can consolidate herself as one of the country’s main athletes.