From the Superbowl to Wife Carrying, we asked you, the h2g2 Community, to tell us about any sporting event anywhere in the world that you're aware for our absolutely stonking h2g2 Universal Sporting Calendar. And this is what you wrote!

The World Cup

But for the vast majority of the world's population, the World Cup Football tournament is the most important sports event in the world. Here are the dates of the first round matches (see the BBC World Cup site for information on the subsequent rounds):

Group A Fixtures (Korea)

France v Senegal - Seoul | Fri 31 May | 12.30 BST

Uruguay v Denmark - Ulsan | Sat 1 June | 10.00 BST

Denmark v Senegal - Daegu | Thu 6 June | 07.30 BST

France v Uruguay - Busan | Thu 6 June | 12.30 BST

Senegal v Uruguay - Suwon | Tue 11 June | 07.30 BST

Denmark v France - Incheon | Tue 11 June | 07.30 BST

Group B Fixtures (Korea)

Paraguay v South Africa - Busan | Sun 2 June | 08.30 BST

Spain v Slovenia - Gwangju | Sun 2 June | 12.30 BST

Spain v Paraguay - Jeonju | Fri 7 June | 10.00 BST

South Africa v Slovenia - Daegu | Sat 8 June | 07.30 BST

South Africa v Spain - Daejeon | Wed 12 June | 12.30 BST

Slovenia v Paraguay - Seogwipo | Wed 12 June | 12.30 BST

Group C Fixtures (Korea)

Brazil v Turkey - Ulsan | Mon 3 June | 10.00 BST

China v Costa Rica - Gwangju | Tue 4 June | 07.30 BST

Brazil v China - Seogwipo | Sat 8 June | 12.30 BST

Costa Rica v Turkey - Incheon | Sun 9 June | 10.00 BST

Costa Rica v Brazil - Suwon | Thu 13 June | 07.30 BST

Turkey v China - Seoul | Thu 13 June | 07.30 BST

Group D Fixtures (Korea)

South Korea v Poland - Busan | Tue 4 June | 12.30 BST

USA v Portugal - Suwon | Wed 5 June | 10.00 BST

South Korea v USA - Daegu | Mon 10 June | 07.30 BST

Portugal v Poland - Jeonju | Mon 10 June | 12.30 BST

Poland v USA - Daejeon | Fri 14 June | 12.30 BST

Portugal v South Korea - Incheon | Fri 14 June | 12.30 BST

Group E Fixtures (Japan)

Rep of Ireland v Cameroon - Niigata | Sat 1 June | 07.30 BST

Germany v Saudi Arabia - Sapporo | Sat 1 June | 12.30 BST

Germany v Rep of Ireland - Ibaraki | Wed 5 June | 12.30 BST

Cameroon v Saudi Arabia - Saitama | Thu 6 June | 10.00 BST

Saudi Arabia v Rep of Ireland - Yokohama | Tue 11 June | 12.30 BST

Cameroon v Germany - Shizuoka | Tue 11 June | 12.30 BST

Group of Death Fixtures (Japan)

Argentina v Nigeria - Ibaraki | Sun 2 June | 06.30 BST

England v Sweden - Saitama | Sun 2 June | 10.30 BST

Sweden v Nigeria - Kobe | Fri 7 June | 07.30 BST

Argentina v England - Sapporo | Fri 7 June | 12.30 BST

Sweden v Argentina - Miyagi | Wed 12 June | 07.30 BST

Nigeria v England - Osaka | Wed 12 June | 07.30 BST

Group G Fixtures (Japan)

Croatia v Mexico - Niigata | Mon 3 June | 07.30 BST

Italy v Ecuador - Sapporo | Mon 3 June | 12.30 BST

Italy v Croatia - Ibaraki | Sat 8 June | 10.00 BST

Mexico v Ecuador - Miyagi | Sun 9 June | 07.30 BST

Ecuador v Croatia - Yokohama | Thu 13 June | 12.30 BST

Mexico v Italy - Oita | Thu 13 June | 12.30 BST

Group H Fixtures (Japan)

Japan v Belgium - Saitama | Tue 4 June | 10.00 BST

Russia v Tunisia - Kobe | Wed 5 June | 07.30 BST

Japan v Russia - Yokohama | Sun 9 June | 12.30 BST

Tunisia v Belgium - Oita | Mon 10 June | 10.00 BST

Belgium v Russia - Shizuoka | Fri 14 June | 07.30 BST

Tunisia v Japan - Osaka | Fri 14 June | 07.30 BST

International Motorsport

For some, watching cars whizz round a track or momentarily glimpsing one as it splashes mud all down your new jacket, is about as much fun as watching paint dry. For others, though, motorsport represents the epitome of sporting exhilaration - a way of life. If you belong to the latter group, here are a few dates you might well be interested in:

Formula 1

• 3 Mar - Grand Prix of Australia (Melbourne¹)
• 17 Mar - Grand Prix of Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
• 31 Mar - Grand Prix of Brazil (São Paulo)
• 14 Apr - Grand Prix of San Marino (Imola)
• 28 Apr - Grand Prix of Spain (Barcelona)
• 12 May - Grand Prix of Austria (Spielberg)
• 26 May - Grand Prix of Monaco (Monaco) (Duh!)
• 9 Jun - Grand Prix of Canada (Montreal)
• 23 Jun - Grand Prix of Europe (Nürburgring)
• 7 Jul - Grand Prix of Great Britain (Silverstone)
• 21 Jul - Grand Prix of France (Magny-Cours)
• 28 Jul - Grand Prix of Germany (Hockenheim)
• 18 Aug - Grand Prix of Hungary (Budapest)
• 1 Sep - Grand Prix of Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
• 15 Sep - Grand Prix of Italy (Monza)
• 29 Sep - Grand Prix of USA (Indianapolis)
• 13 Oct - Grand Prix of Japan (Suzuka)

World Rally Championship

• 17-20 Jan - 70e (that's French for 70th) Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo 2002
• 31 Jan - 3 Feb - Uddeholm Swedish Rally
• 8-10 Mar - Rallye de France - Tour de Corse (Corsica)
• 22-24 Mar - Rallye Catalunya Costa Brava - Rallye d'Espana
• 19-21 Apr - Cyprus Rally
• 16-19 May - Rally Argentina²
• 13-16 Jun - Acropolis Rally (Greece)
• 11-14 Jul - Safari Rally Kenya³
• 8-11 Aug - Neste Rally Finland
• 22-25 Aug - Adac Rally Deutschland (replacing the Portuguese Rally)
• 19-22 Sep - Rallye Sanremo - Rallye d'Italie
• 03-06 Oct - Propecia Rally of New Zealand
• 31 Oct - 3 Nov - Telstra Rally Australia
• 14-17 Nov - Network Q Rally of Great Britain

Manchester Commonwealth Games 2002

The Commonwealth Games is being held in and around Manchester, UK (except the shooting events, which are being held in Bisley, Surrey), between 25 July and 4 August. Some of the events such as the cycle races around Rivington Pike in Bolton, and the triathlon at Salford Quays will be completely free to watch. Others though require tickets, and with demand high for most events it is wise to get in quick.

World Bog Snorkeling Championships

On the August Bank Holiday Monday, 26 August, the infamous Annual World Bog Snorkelling Championships will be taking place in the town of Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, Wales. The event takes place in a bog on the outskirts of the town where a 60-yard-long trench has been dug. Competitors (this could include you if you are completely insane enough) have to swim two lengths of the bog with the aid of a pair of flippers and a snorkel. If swimming in bog is not your scene then perhaps leaping them is. At the same time as the bog snorkelling there is a 22-mile mountain bike race, with the occasional bog to leap over. Expect to get very messy indeed.

Super Bowl - NFL

The Super Bowl is usually regarded as the biggest annual single-day sporting event in the world. Played the last Sunday of January every year (although it's been postponed one week this year due to the tragic events of 9-11) it is the culmination of the NFL (National Football League) of American Football. It is played between the champions of each of the two football conferences, the AFC (American Football Conference) and the NFC (National Football Conference). These two teams have been decided through 16 games of the regular football season, played over 17 weeks, starting in early September, and then three weeks of play-offs.

The Super Bowl is watched by a fully packed stadium each year as well as an estimated 130 million viewers from the United States and over 800 million viewers from all over the globe that tune into their TV-sets for what is called the World Championship Game in the American Football world. The actual Super Bowl game is preceded with a whole week of festivities in the city where the game is played, with lots of different events, from the NFL experience, where fans can try what it's like to throw and catch a football, to concerts and press conferences with the coaches and players, to autograph signing sessions by the players and coaches.

Each year, the half-time show at the Super Bowl includes a short concert with a host of different artists (this year U2 will play live) and each year, the American National anthem is sung by a music star to kick the game off (Mariah Carey will sing in 2002, adding her name to a list of artists including Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks and The Backstreet Boys).

NFL Europe

The NFL Europe League is a spring league where players gets sent over from the NFL teams to develop their skills and prove to the coaches that they can handle a life in the Pros. Some of the 'poster boys' for the NFLE are the likes of Kurt Warner (Super Bowl XXXIV Most Valuable Player, 2000) who played for the Amsterdam Admirals in 1998, and then stepped in as a backup QB for the St Louis Rams in the 1999-2000 season to lead them to a Super Bowl victory. Marcus Robinson, wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, who played for the Rhein Fire in 1998.

I know there are more players that deserve a mention, like QB Brad Johnson, QB Jon Kitna, DT La'Roi Glover and S George Coghill but with over 100 players currently playing in the NFL, those are but a few players who stands out in the crowd.

The 2002 season will kick off in April and will keep on for ten weeks. These are the dates according to the NFL Europe site:

Week One

• Saturday, 13 April - Berlin Thunder at Frankfurt Galaxy (Waldstadion, Frankfurt), 7.00pm; Rhein Fire at Amsterdam Admirals (Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam), 7.00 pm.

• Sunday, 14 April - Barcelona Dragons at Scottish Claymores (Hampden Park, Glasgow), 3.00pm

Week Two

• Saturday, 20 April - Amsterdam Admirals at Berlin Thunder (Jahnstadion, Berlin), 6.00pm; Scottish Claymores at Rhein Fire (RheinStadion, Düsseldorf), 7.00pm.

• Monday April 22 Frankfurt Galaxy at Barcelona Dragons (Estadi Olímpic de Montjuíc, Barcelona), 8.30pm.

Week Three

• Saturday, 27 April - Amsterdam Admirals at Barcelona Dragons, 5.30pm; Rhein Fire at Berlin Thunder, 6.00pm; Scottish Claymores at Frankfurt Galaxy, 7.00pm.

Week Four

• Friday, 3 May - Berlin Thunder at Amsterdam Admirals, 8.00pm.

• Saturday, May 4 - Barcelona Dragons at Rhein Fire, 7.00pm.

• Sunday, May 5 - Frankfurt Galaxy at Scottish Claymores (Murrayfield, Edinburgh), 3.00pm.

Week Five

• Saturday, May 11 - Frankfurt Galaxy at Rhein Fire, 7.00pm; Scottish Claymores at Amsterdam Admirals, 7.00pm.

• Sunday, May 12 - Barcelona Dragons at Berlin Thunder, 3.00pm.

Week Six

• Saturday, May 18 - Berlin Thunder at Barcelona Dragons, 5.30pm.

• Sunday, May 19 - Rhein Fire at Scottish Claymores (back at Hampden Park, Glasgow for the remainder of the season), 3.00pm; Amsterdam Admirals at Frankfurt Galaxy, 7.00pm.

Week Seven

• Saturday, May 25 - Barcelona Dragons at Frankfurt Galaxy, 7.00pm.

• Sunday, May 26 - Amsterdam Admirals at Scottish Claymores, 3.00pm; Berlin Thunder at Rhein Fire, 4.00pm

Week Eight

• Saturday, June 1 - Rhein Fire at Barcelona Dragons, 5.30pm; Frankfurt Galaxy at Amsterdam Admirals, 7.00pm.

• Sunday, June 2 - Scottish Claymores at Berlin Thunder, 7.00pm.

Week Nine

• Saturday, June 8 - Barcelona Dragons at Amsterdam Admirals, 7.00pm; Rhein Fire at Frankfurt Galaxy, 7.00pm.

• Sunday, June 9 - Berlin Thunder at Scottish Claymores, 3.00pm.

Week Ten

• Saturday, June 15 - Scottish Claymores at Barcelona Dragons, 5.30pm; Frankfurt Galaxy at Berlin Thunder, 6.00pm; Amsterdam Admirals at Rhein Fire, 7.00pm.

Week 11

• June 22 - World Bowl X (Venue to be announced)

University of Bradford Archery Competition

The University of Bradford's Archery competition is held on the last Sunday of every November - last year it was on the 25 November, so next year it should be on the 24th. There will be two sessions, morning and afternoon and probably two details in each session. GNAS colours apply. 'Please come, it'll be great', informed the kindly Researcher who posted to the thread!

Cycling - Professional Road Races

Well I don't think the UCI have confirmed the calendar dates for this year, but the season kicks off in March so there's still time (although there are currently doubts about the first major event - 'The Race to the Sun' or Paris-Nice - going ahead). If you're on holiday in Europe and the roads get closed and a large bunch of colourful lycra-clad two-wheeled athletes whiz by... you'll know why.

World Cup Single Day races or Major Tours are underlined in italics:

March

• Omloop Het Volk, Belgium
• Paris - Nice, France
• Tirreno - Adriatico, Italy
• Milano-San Remo, Italy
• Semana Catalana de Ciclismo, Spain
• GP E3- Harelbeke, Belgium

April

• Critérium International, France
• Ronde van Vlaanderen, Belgium
• Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Spain
• Gent-Wevelgem, Belgium
• Paris-Roubaix, France
• Vuelta a Aragon, Spain
• La Flèche Wallonne, Belgium
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Belgium
• Amstel Gold Race, Netherlands

May

• Giro del Trentino, Italy
• Rund um den Henninger Turm, Frankfurt, Germany
• Tour de Romandie, Switzerland
• 4 Jours de Dunkerque, France
• Course de la Paix, Czech Republic
• GP Cycliste du Midi Libre, France
• GP de Wallonie, Belgium
• Giro d'Italia, Italy

June

• Deutschland-Tour, Germany
• Euskal Bizikleta-Bicicleta Vasca, Spain
• Classique des Alpes, France
• Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, France
• Tour of Sweden - Postgirot Open, Sweden
• Route du Sud, France
• Tour de Suisse, Switzerland
• Vuelta a Catalunya, Spain

July

• Tour de France, France

August

• Grande Boucle Féminine Internationale 5
• Clasica San Sebastian, Spain
• Post Danmark Rundt (Tour of Denmark), Denmark
• Hew Cyclassics, Germany
• Vuelta a Burgos, Spain
• Meisterschaft von Zürich, Switzerland

September

• Ronde van Nederland/Tour de Hollande, Netherlands
• Giro del Veneto, Italy
• GP Ouest France - Plouay, France
• Tour de l'Avenir, France
• Coppa Placci, Italy
• GP de Fourmies/La Voix du Nord, France
• Giro del Lazio, Italy
• GP des Nations, France
• Vuelta a Espana, Spain
• GP Industria and Commercio di Prato, Italy
• Giro dell'Emilia, Italy
• Milano-Vignola, Italy

October

• Paris - Bourges, France
• Paris-Tours, France
• Milano - Torino, Italy
• Giro del Piemonte, Italy
• Giro di Lombardia, Italy

Tennis Grand Slams

• 14, January - Australian Open (Melbourne Park)
• 27 May - French Open (Roland Garros)
• 24 June - Wimbledon (Wimbledon, UK)
• 26 August - US Open (Flushing Meadows)

Wife Carrying World Championship

This rather eccentric event is taking place at Sonkajarvi, in Eastern Finland on 6 July, 2002. It will be the seventh time that this event is being competed on a world championship level. More specific information can be found here.

Yachting

This year's yachting events at Cowes include:

• Saturday 22 June 2002 - The Hoy Around The Island Yacht Race
  First sailed in 1931, in the largest yacht race of its kind, around 2,000 yachts of all kinds, from small family yachts to multi-hulls and America's Cup yachts, both old and new race to sail around the Isle of Wight.

• 3rd to 10 August 2002 - Cowes Week
  The world's largest and most famous sailing regatta, first started in 1826. A typical day has 35 races starting for all the different classes entering.

The Olympics

The Olympics are held every four years and alternate between winter and summer every two years:

• Summer - Athens Olympics 13-29 Aug, 2004
• Winter - Salt Lake City 8-24 Feb, 2002

The Paralympics will be held in Athens, 17-28 Sep, 2004.

Figure Skating

• Jan 3-4, 2002 - International Synchronized Skating Competition, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

• Jan 6-128, 2002 - US National Figure Skating Competition

• Jan 8-13, 2002 - Canadian National Figure Skating Competition, Hamilton, Ontario

• Jan 14-20, 2002 - European Figure Skating Championships, Lausanne

• Jan 21-27, 2002 - Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, Korea

• Mar 3-10, 2002 - World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Hamar, Norway

• Mar 18-24, 2002 - World Figure Skating Championships, Nagano, Japan

• Oct 24-27, 2002 - Skate America, Spokane, Washington

• Oct 31-Nov 3, 2002 - Skate Canada, Quebec City, Canada

European Marathons

Here is a short list of marathons from a few European countries dragged together from different webpages:

Junior Hockey Tournament, King's Lynn, UK

Bit of a funny one, this, but it is a sporting event!

• King's Lynn and District Cub Association, 2 March, Hockey Tournament for under 10 and 1/2's

NASCAR

These events are part of Speedweeks at Daytona, the first two weeks of February, which mark the opening of the 2002 NASCAR season which will run through November. The NASCAR season features races nearly every weekend on different racetracks throughout the US. If you only have room for one of these on the calendar, the Daytona 500 on the 17th is the most important.

NASCAR racing begins in February at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida with the following events:

• February 10 - Bud Shootout and Discount Auto Parts 200, ARCA/REMAX series race. Tickets available for the Shootout range from $80 to $90 USD, ticket info for the ARCA race is unavailable.

• February 14 - Gatorade 125 Mile Qualifying Races. Tickets available range from $55 to $115 USD.

• February 15 - Daytona 250, Craftsman Truck series race. Tickets available for $55 USD.

• February 16 - EAS/GNC Live Well 300, Busch series race. Tickets available range from $50 to $120 USD.

• February 17 - Daytona 500, Winston Cup series race. Must call box office for ticket info, phone number is publicly available on Daytona Speedway's website.

Irish Sporting Events 2002

Some sporting highlights of the Irish year:

• All-Ireland Gaelic Football Final - 22 September, Croke Park, Dublin
• All-Ireland Hurling Final - 8 September, Croke Park, Dublin

Race Meetings

• The Budweiser Irish Derby - 30 June, The Curragh, County Kildare
• Galway Races - 29 July - 4 August, Ballybrit racecourse, Galway
• Leopardstown Races - 26 - 29 December Leopardstown racecourse, County Dublin

Golf (European Tour events)

• Murphy's Irish Open - 27th - 30th June, Fota Island, Cork
• European Open - 4th - 7th July, K Club, County Kildare

Six Nations Rugby

• Ireland v Wales, Lansdowne Road, Dublin 3 February
• Ireland v England, Twickenham 16 February
• Ireland v Scotland, Lansdowne Road, 2 March
• Ireland v Italy, Lansdowne Road, 23 March
• Ireland v France, Stade de France, 6 April

And above all, Ireland in the World Cup in June!

Indy 500

Under the IRL, the Indy 500 is, in the opinion of some, the open-wheeled race. Held on the 2.5 mile speedway in Indianapolis, racers go 200 laps. It's raced on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend - 26 May this year.

Scottish Archery Association Open Championship

This event will be held on 3 and 4 August 2002 at Craigholme Girls School Playing Fields, Haggs Road, Glasgow. This is a double FITA event. Further details are available here.

Tiddlywinks - UK

You may be surprised to know that there are national organisations for tiddlywinks, which hold annual tournaments. The modern game is described here. The following is taken from the website for an organisation called the English TiddlyWinks Association. Other dates are to be announced:

• Cambridge Open, 2-3 Feb 2002, Cambridge (10.30am start, Bowett room, Queens' College)
• National Teams of Four, 2-3 Mar 2002, possibly in Kidlington, Oxford
• National Pairs, 27-28 Apr 2002, Cambridge

Happy winking!

Cheltenham

Fingers crossed and boyfriend willing, I am being taken to the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival this year and this is on 12, 13 and 14 March. This is the premiere National Hunt festival of the racing calendar and is all the more special as last year was a victim of foot and mouth. Each day has a feature race; on the Tuesday it is the Champion Hurdle (with Irish raider / wonder horse Istabraq going for a record 4th victory), Wednesday is the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Thursday is the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

British Youth Championship Fencing

• January 2002 - Stoke on Trent - British Youth Championships Under 16's foil.

US Marathons

• Boston Marathon - April 15 at 12 noon local time (wheelchair start is at 11.45 am). Entry Fee: Fee for US/Canada residents is 75 US$, 100 US$ for all others; a surcharge of 5 US$ is added for online registration.

• Chicago Marathon - October 13 at 7.30am local time (wheelchair start is at 7.15am). Entry Fee: US fee is 80 US$, International fee is 90 US$.

• Weather Conditions and Average Temperature (according to the official Chicago Marathon website): Start: 40 Fahrenheit, 7 Celsius; Finish: 55 Fahrenheit, 13 Celsius.

The flat, loop course is recognised as the world's fastest course, home to both men's and women's World Records: Khalid Khannochi (2:05:42, 1999) and Catherine Ndereba (2:18:47, 2001).
- from the official Chicago Marathon website

European Marathons

Here is a list of just some of the many marathons to be held in European countries dragged together from different websites:

• 13 Jan - Wintermarathon Dieverbrug (Netherlands)
  
  20 Jan - Louis Persoons Marathon Genk (Belgium)

• 2 Feb - Thermen-Marathon Fuessing (Germany)
  
  24 Feb - Sevilla Marathon (Spain)

• 3 Mar - Pafos Marathon (Cyprus)
  
  9 Mar - Kalle Marathon (Sweden)

• 7 Apr - Paris Marathon (France)
  
  21 Apr - Turin Marathon (Italy)

• 4 May - Helgoland-Marathon (Germany)
  
  25 May - Pori Marathon (Finland)

• 1 Jun - Iller Marathon (Germany)
  
  6 Jun - Stoke Potteries Marathon (UK)

• 6 Jul - Zermatt Marathon - (Switzerland)
  
  7 Jul - Guldensporenmarathon (Belgium)

• 10 Aug - Atria Marathon (Finland)
  
  18 Aug - København-Helsingør (Denmark)

• 1 Sep - Hochstift Marathon Fulda (Germany)
  
  8 Sep - Mergelland Marathon (Netherlands)

• 6 Oc - Poznan Marathon (Poland)
  
  12 Oct - Algarve-Marathon (Portugal)

• 17 Nov - Marathon de Monaco
  
  24 Nov - Firenze Marathon (Italy)

• 1 Dec - Bertlicher Straßenläufe (Germany)
  
  8 Dec - Siebengebirgsmarathon (Germany)