A spectacular year for world sport
The past 365 days were chock-full of major moments. Here are six that defined 2022
WE are just hours away before we bid a fond farewell to 2022, and sports fans in Singapore and around the world can look back with gratitude on another action-packed year filled with memorable moments. It was tough to pick just six events, but these were the ones (in no particular order) that stand out from the rest.
Messi magic in Qatar
This year’s Fifa World Cup will go down in history as the most controversial and captivating tournament in recent memory, with powerhouses Argentina and France contesting a mesmerising final that will be replayed and discussed for decades to come.
Lionel Messi cemented his status as the greatest footballer of his generation, scoring seven times to lead the South Americans to a first World Cup triumph in 36 years. No one will ever forget how, with the winners’ medal finally around his neck, he laid his first kiss on that golden trophy, grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat.
This World Cup produced more shocks than one could attempt to count. Morocco – a team few even expected to make it out of the group stage – were the tournament’s surprise package as they became the first African and Arab country to reach the semi-finals.
Farewell to football’s original Samba King
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Pele, the larger-than-life figure who transcended football and became a global icon, died on Dec 29 at the age of 82. The only person to win three World Cups, Pele’s goalscoring record is one that will likely never be matched.
He netted 1,281 times in 1,366 games, according to Fifa’s website, which translated to an astonishing rate of 0.94 per match. In official matches, he scored 757 goals in 812 games.
As the tributes continue to pour in from around the globe, his compatriot Neymar perhaps summed it up best when he said: “Before Pele, ‘10’ was just a number. I would say that before Pele, football was just a sport. He transformed football into an art, into entertainment.”
No-vax Djokovic ousted from Melbourne
The 2022 Australian Open made headlines even before the first match was played. Nine-time winner Novak Djokovic arrived in Melbourne in search of his tenth title, but the unvaccinated Serbian had his visa cancelled and was detained in a hotel with refugees before the government deported him.
He was also banned from playing at the US Open in New York, although he did get clearance to fly to the UK where he clinched a seventh Wimbledon title. Djokovic has already been given the all-clear to return to Melbourne in a fortnight’s time as he looks to equal Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slams.
Federer signs off for good
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house at the O2 Arena in London when tennis superstar Roger Federer celebrated his emotional farewell from the sport at the Laver Cup.
The 41-year-old Swiss lost the final professional match of his career – he played doubles with his long-time rival Nadal – but the result didn’t matter one bit, of course. The tennis world gave him a grand send-off, in the same city where he won the first of his 20 Grand Slams.
He tried to put on a brave face after the match, but to no avail. He cried with Nadal, with his wife and children, his parents, his Laver Cup teammates, and almost everyone else in the arena lucky enough to snare a ticket to watch this legend play one last time. Federer defined the sport of tennis for the past 20 years, and there will never be another player like him.
Formula One’s return to Marina Bay
They say you only miss something when it’s been taken away from you, and that’s what many motorsports fans felt when the F1 night race – the largest annual sporting event in Singapore’s calendar – was scrapped in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
In September, the event returned with a bang as a record crowd of 302,000 turned up to watch the likes of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and eventual winner Sergio Perez tear down the streets in their powerful and colourful cars.
The wildly popular race, which will remain a mainstay until 2028 under the current contract, was also symbolic as it signalled a return to normalcy as the country entered the post-pandemic era.
LKY’s monumental rise
What a year it’s been for Singapore’s top badminton star, Loh Kean Yew. The 25-year-old is flying high as he’s now ranked third in the world, a feat all the more remarkable considering he was 40th last year.
Loh didn’t win a title in 2022, but he can take heart from reaching the quarter-finals in 11 out of 15 events. He also placed third in his group at the recent World Tour finals. His success on the court has not gone unnoticed, with sponsors including Seiko, Singapore Airlines and Grab making him a brand ambassador.
The next big target on Loh’s radar is to win a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and why not? He’s already won the world championship in 2021, and for this talented athlete, the sky is certainly the limit.
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