Month: July 2025

The game of hockey was contested for the first time in Olympic competition at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium. It has since been played in every Winter Olympics except one, and is the most popular men’s event. Canada has won more gold medals than any other country, with 23 total. Its teams were a formidable force for decades, dominating the sport in the 1950s and 1960s. Their victory at the 1980 Olympics is known as the Miracle on Ice.

The Soviet Union won the next four Olympics, and won every gold in the tournament until the 1972 Sapporo Games, when the U.S. team shocked the world by beating the Soviets in the final game. Two nights later, on Valentine’s Day, the Americans blasted Czechoslovakia 7-3. The Americans were trailing 4-3 in the second period when a Soviet captain came into the bench and told them to take a deep breath. It didn’t work, but the Americans did score six unanswered goals in the third period to win the game.

At the 1992 Albertville Olympics, the Red Army’s era of Olympic ice hockey ended, at least in terms of medals. The former Soviet states competed under the Unified Team banner, and won their last gold medal in the competition.

In 1998, NHL players were allowed to compete at the Olympics, a change that led to a golden era for many countries, including Canada, which won five straight golds from 2002 to 2006. Russia (as OAR) won the men’s Olympic title in 2018 and 2022.

In the world of track and field, few events have more global appeal or prestige than the World Athletics Championship. Organised by the sport’s world governing body, World Athletics (formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federations), it is the highest level of senior outdoor competition for track and field, marathon running and race walking athletes.

Held every two years, the World Athletics Championship is a true test of the finest athletes’ physical prowess and mental strength. The event features 12 track and eight field events for both men and women, plus a mixed 4x400m relay. Middle and long distances – including the 800m, 1500m, 5,000m and 10,000m – test runners’ ability to maintain a consistent pace over several laps of the stadium circuit, while sprinting events – including the 100m and 110m hurdles – demand speed and agility. Jumps – the high jump, long jump and triple jump – demonstrate an extraordinary ability to propel themselves through the air, while a marathon and 20km and 35km race walks are classic tests of endurance.

Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson was one of the many stars to shine at the last World Athletics Championship in Budapest, securing a second title in the heptathlon despite suffering injury in recent years. Other gold medallists included Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis, who won pole vault for the first time at a World Championship with a clearance of 6.21 metres. The finals took place at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest from 19 to 27 August, with 404,088 fans filling the arena over the course of nine days creating an electric atmosphere and helping produce some spellbinding performances.

The Masters leaderboard keeps track of players’ rankings throughout the tournament. As players score birdies, eagles or unfortunate double-bogeys, their rankings fluctuate. These shifts add excitement and tension to the tournament. The Masters is one of the few golf events where spectators can watch these changes in real-time, thanks to live updates provided by broadcasters and online platforms.

The 2025 Masters had a few twists and turns as the second round of play came to a close. Rory McIlroy lost his place atop the leaderboard after two horrendous holes on the back nine, while the defending champion struggled to maintain his form.

Bryson DeChambeau remains tied for the lead with Rory McIlroy after a superb second round. He’s joined by Corey Conners and Patrick Reed, with Ludvig Aberg lurking in the group.

McIlroy hit his first shot of the day into a water hazard on No. 14, which cost him a shot at the par-5 15th. His second shot at No. 16 was even worse, as it ran out of bounds and into the patrons. The two dropped him to 3-under, five shots off the pace.

The Masters tournament is a major, and the top 50 players plus ties will make the cut for the final rounds of play. This year, the cut line landed at 2 over, which is the lowest in the history of the Masters. The winner of the Masters will take home a record $21 million in prize money, which is up $1 million from last year.

For better or for worse, sports moments often capture the world’s attention. They can inspire us, uplift us, or even cause us to change our views on life. The Boston Marathon bombing transformed a joyous sporting event into a tragedy, inspiring the country and the world to rally together under the banner of “Boston Strong.” And Michael Jordan’s crying during his last game with the Chicago Bulls reverberated far beyond the confines of the NBA arena.

The Olympics always have some of the biggest viral sports moments, and 2024 was no exception. From “pommel horse guy” winning a bronze medal and a spot on Dancing with the Stars to WNBA superstar Ilona Maher rumbling over Aussies to Steph Curry knocking out France, this year’s Games were filled with head-scratching, social-media-successful moments.

It’s not every day that you see a video of an athlete taking on a mascot in a wrestling match, but that’s exactly what happened when Brooklyn Nets mascot BrooklyKnight and New York City FC’s Thiago Andrade went head-to-head at center court. The clip quickly rose to prominence, with a post on the team’s Facebook page garnering over 13 million impressions.

India’s dramatic last-ball victory against Australia in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados was the most shared sports moment of 2025, with over 1 billion posts related to it recorded globally within 24 hours. The emotional and poetic farewell of cricket legend Virat Kohli left fans from all corners of the globe awestruck.