14th to 20th September
For rugby union fans, especially if your interest is with nations from the southern hemisphere, an announcement was made yesterday that brings some positive news for those wishing to see more international matches. SANZAAR, the governing body set up to represent Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, have picked Australia to be the host of the Rugby Championship. It was initially meant to be New Zealand, but new outbreaks of the coronavirus have placed further quarantine restrictions on the nation. Australia was therefore viewed as a more viable option. However, the participation of Argentina and South Africa remain in doubt as several Argentinian players have tested positive for the virus and South Africa's international airspace has not officially opened yet. Equally, neither nation has started played national-level rugby and as the tournament is meant to be in October/November, it simply may not be possible to attend. Further rugby union news is that the draw for the 2023 World Cup in France will now only be done in December this year. One of the biggest and most famous endurance races in motor sport is undoubtedly the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The race was scheduled to take place earlier in the year, but the revised calendar has made it possible to still feature in 2020. The Circuit de la Sarthe near Mulsanne in France will host over the weekend. It must be added that spectators are not allowed to attend, although there will be areas set aside near the track. Another revised event also featuring next week is the the U.S. Open golf tournament, the next major for the year and will be played at the Winged Foot Golf Course in New York.
The Tour de France has one more week remaining before riders head down the Champs-Élysées next Sunday for the final stage. It is normally a formality with the winner already decided by the end of the previous stage. Primož Roglic of Slovenia is the current holder of the coveted yellow jersey. Today is the ladies' U.S. Open final with Naomi Osaka squaring up against Victoria Azarenka. For the men, Dominic Thiem will take on Alexander Zverev on Sunday. Staying with tennis, organisers of the French Open that will take place later this month, have announced that 11,500 fans will be allowed in at Roland-Garros each day. This week the Professional Squash Association resumes the World Tour with a tournament in Manchester, England. The Wanda Diamond League moves to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Thursday, while in Judo the first Grand Prix for a while will be hosted in Zagreb over the weekend. Before we view the list of sports events for next week, we finish on a new record by Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira. She has broken her own world record for the largest wave surfed by a woman after riding a 73.5 foot wave at Praia do Norte in Portugal. It is an amazing achievement.
Until next time, have a great sporting week!
Athletics
Monday to Tuesday - World Athletics Continental Tour Gold - Memorial Borisa Hanzekovica - Sport Park Mladost, Zagreb, Croatia
Thursday - Wanda Diamond League - Golden Gala Pietro Mennea - Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
Bodybuilding
Tuesday to 21st September - IFBB European Championships - Santa Susana, Spain
Bridge
1st September to 6th October - 1st South American Online Mixed Teams Bridge Championship
Canoeing
Friday to Sunday - 2020 ECA Canoe Slalom European Championships - Prague, Czech Republic
Cricket
Wednesday - England v Australia (3rd ODI) - Manchester, England
Crossminton
Saturday to Sunday - ICO World Series - Croatian Open powered by Speedminton - Zagreb, Croatia
Cycling
29th August to Sunday - UCI WorldTour - Tour de France - France
7th September to Monday - UCI WorldTour - Tirreno-Adriatico - Italy
Sunday - UCI MTB Eliminator World Cup - Waregem, Belgium
Darts
Friday to Sunday - PDC World Series of Darts Finals - Salzburgarena, Salzburg, Austria
Equestrian
Thursday to Sunday - Hubside Jumping World Cup - Grimaud, Golfe de St.Topez, France
Golf
Thursday to Sunday - ANA Open - Sapporo GC, Hokkaido, Japan; Lacoste Ladies Open de France - Chateaux Course, France; Open de Portugal at Royal Óbidos - Óbidos, Portugal; U.S. Open - Winged Foot GC, New York, USA; Cambia Portland Classic - Portland, OR, USA
Judo
Friday to Sunday - IJF World Tour - Zagreb Grand Prix 2020 - Zagreb, Croatia
Kite Sports
Wednesday to Sunday - 2020 Formula Kite European Championships - Traunsee, Austria
Motorcycling
Friday to Sunday - MotoGP - Gran Premio Tissot dell'Emilia Romagna e della Riviera di Rimini - San Marino and Reviera di Rimini, Italy
Friday to Sunday - Superbike - Acerbis Catalunya Round - Cicuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona
Motor Racing
Friday to Sunday - Rally - Rally Turkey - Marmaris, Turkey
Saturday to Sunday - Rallycross - Neste World RX of Riga - Bikernieki National Sports Base, Riga, Latvia
Saturday to Sunday - Endurance - 24 Hours of Le Mans - Circuit de la Sarthe, Mulsanne, France
Padel
Sunday to 27th September - Padel World Tour Estrella Damm Menorca Open 2020 - Menorca, Spain
Poker
Tuesday to Sunday - World Poker Tour - Borgata Poker Open - Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, NJ, USA
Road Running
Sunday - Taiyuan International Marathon - Taiyuan, China
Squash
Wednesday to 22nd September - PSA World Tour - Manchester Open 2020 - Manchester, England
Tennis
Monday to 21st September - Internazionali BNL d'Italia (ATP/WTA) - Rome, Italy
Sunday to 26th September - Internationaux de Strasbourg (WTA) - Strasbourg, France