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A YEAR OF SPORTING SPECTACULARS by Bob Barton
January 2007
Football returns to a brand new stadium at Wembley; golf’s Open championship on one of the most challenging courses on the Open rota; Rugby World Cup games in Scotland and Wales and the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham. Just a few of the events sports fans will have their eye on in Britain this year. Then there is the world’s greatest cycle race: the Tour de France, whose Grand Depart takes place in London for the first time in 104 years. This is the largest annual sporting event on the planet, a spectacle followed by 2,000 vehicles and 2,300 media.
A YEAR OF SPORTING SPECTACULARS by Bob Barton
January 2007
Football returns to a brand new stadium at Wembley; golf’s Open championship on one of the most challenging courses on the Open rota; Rugby World Cup games in Scotland and Wales and the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham. Just a few of the events sports fans will have their eye on in Britain this year. Then there is the world’s greatest cycle race: the Tour de France, whose Grand Depart takes place in London for the first time in 104 years. This is the largest annual sporting event on the planet, a spectacle followed by 2,000 vehicles and 2,300 media.
The Grand Départ of the Tour de France will be the biggest sporting event to be held in the British capital ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. It promises to give a taste of what the city will be like in five years’ time.
Some two million visitors are expected to visit London and Kent during the three days the Tour will spend in the UK (July 6-8). The Prologue on Saturday July 7 will be a 7.9 kilometre lap of central London, starting on Whitehall and taking in famous landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park before finishing on the Mall, the processional route used by heads of state and platoons of mounted soldiers in their red jacketed finery.
Stage One, the 126 miles to Canterbury on Sunday July 8, will see 189 riders in 21 teams starting from Central London. They pass close to landmarks including Big Ben, the London Eye and St. Paul's Cathedral, before crossing Tower Bridge. The race then heads towards London’s fringes: Bermondsey, Deptford and Greenwich (home of the zero meridian from where world time is calculated). Entering Kent, Dartford and Gravesend follow (the last named the final resting place of Pocahontas, the famous native American Princess) and Medway, the country of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens.
Kentis known as the garden of England: the route enters a beautiful land of rolling hills, woods and farmland, dotted with gardens and romantic castles. Many visitors will be tempted to return to explore the county and its historic sights after the crowds have gone. Capital Sport has various trips allowing you to cycle parts the route – even whizzing past the finish line -- with hotels, luggage transfer and optional bike rental all arranged. www.capital-sport.co.uk
The former spa town of Tunbridge Wells and Ashford are next, before the stage finish in the historic cathedral city of Canterbury. The city will be alive with all kinds of entertainment including live jazz, classical and world music, street theatre and food markets: the Tour has a carnival atmosphere wherever it goes. A word of advice: book accommodation early as, with so many spectators, hotel bed spaces will be at a premium. www.tourdefrancelondon.com
Later the same month, the eyes of the world move north to Scotland for the 136th British Open Golf Championship at Carnoustie (July 19-22). Can Tiger Woods win the world’s oldest championship for the third consecutive time, in this ancient coastal town 72 miles north of Edinburgh? (And just 23 from the golfing ‘capital’ of St. Andrews.) It will be Carnoustie’s seventh Open Championship and the staff are working hard to ensure it is the best. Trees have been removed from the rear of the sixth green, giving more of a links feel, and there is an intensive aeration programme to promote classic, fast playing conditions. There are some good ticket and accommodation packages available for those wishing to attend this momentous event and play nearby courses. www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
Looking farther ahead, the 2008 Open will take place at Royal Birkdale in North-West England, a part of the country known as ‘England’s Golf Coast’. The moniker is appropriate as the region features no less than three royal courses (Birkdale included) and 16 other top courses, set among sand dunes and pine trees along 150 miles of coastline.
The most prestigious event in the rugby calendar, the 2007 Rugby World Cup(Sept. 7 – Oct. 20) is hosted by France but has some key games taking place in Edinburgh and Cardiff. The Scottish capital’s setting is superb - a medieval city built around its Castle Rock, with elegant 18th century neighbourhoods. Murrayfield Stadium is renowned for its whistling wind, harrowing noise and the Tartan Army as the boisterous Scottish supporters are known.
The Welsh capital, Cardiff -- two hours from London by train -- is equally atmospheric with its ornate Victorian castle and futuristic Bay area. The Millennium Stadium, boasting a massive retractable roof, is among the world’s best sporting arenas. http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/
The list of new or revamped sporting facilities is topped by Wembley Stadium in London, which has been completely rebuilt and is expected to host the climax of the football season: the Football Association Cup Final (May 19). Among its state-of-the-art features is a retractable roof and stylish Royal Box from where the trophies will be presented. But the most eye-catching feature is a graceful, 133-metre tall arch rising across the north stand: a stunning new landmark on the capital’s skyline. www.wembleystadium.com
While in London, sports fans should be sure to visit Wimbledon – whether or not it’s Wimbledonfortnight (June 25 – July 8). This is the first full year for its Tennis Museum, packed with lots of buttons to press and special effects (one boasting a life-size ‘ghost’ of John McEnroe) as well as historic trophies and other memorabilia. www.wimbledon.org
Also new is a sleek grandstand at Ascot racecourse. Royal Ascot, one of the events of the summer season, returned home there last year after a sojourn in York for the first time in its 300-year history: this year’s event (June 19-23) promises to be a cracker. www.royalascot.co.uk
A useful website when planning any visit – whether as a sportsperson or spectator – is www.visitbritain.com.
Some other key sporting dates
March 2-4: European Athletics Indoor Championships, Birmingham
April 7: Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race, London
April 12-14: The Grand National, Aintree, Liverpool
April 22: Flora London Marathon
July 4-8: Henley Royal Regatta
July 6-8: British Grand Prix, Silverstone
Sept. 9-15: Tour of Britain
Sept. 30: BUPA Great North Run |
