Sporting fanatics have already been treated to an abundance of intense competitions in the opening months of 2024. However, the most anticipated events will take place over the summer. There are several prestigious events spread across different sports that must not be missed amidst the heat of June, July and August.
Here we will look at the highlight events of the year which will arrive in the coming months. Some take place every year, while others take place as rarely as every four years, which means they should especially be savoured in 2024.
Royal Ascot Festival
The annual meeting at Royal Ascot arguably represents the most prestigious horse racing festival on the planet. The spectacle began over 250 years ago in 1768 as a four-day event but expanded to a five-day event with the addition of the Gold Cup in 1807.
In honour of trainer Chris Waller’s birthday today, let’s relive his iconic #RoyalAscot victory in the King’s Stand Stakes with the mighty NATURE STRIP. 🏆
What a moment. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/0yyvezLV1g
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) March 5, 2024
The festival concludes the running order of the United Kingdom’s four main festivals each year and opens up a long summer of flat racing. It simply offers the greatest spectator experience on the calendar and the introduction of shares in racehorses means fans can now get directly involved with the action at the historic venue.
RaceShare for example offers a plethora of options at various prices when it comes to part-owning a racehorse. One of the leading options, Scampi at £76 per share is a previous winner on Ascot soil having won the Shergar Cup in 2023.
The Royal Ascot Festival is ultimately one not to be missed as the most competitive battles are played out at the birthplace of flat racing and more people hold stakes in the leading horses than ever before.
EURO 2024
Football is another sport that is deep-rooted in British culture and this summer one of the biggest international competitions will star England as one of the favourites.
The summer of 2024 is seen as one in which the Three Lions are almost expected to end the nation’s major trophy drought which has spanned since the glory of 1966.
Not the win we wanted but an unbeaten qualifying campaign and top of the group. Bring on the Euros in the summer! Thanks for all the support 🦁🦁🦁🏴 pic.twitter.com/XWYqWq2Ha6
— Harry Kane (@HKane) November 20, 2023
The likes of Harry Kane and Declan Rice could be poised to lead Gareth Southgate’s side to cement themselves as one of the greatest in their country’s history.
The tournament only comes around every four years which makes it arguably this summer’s most significant sporting event in itself. The fact England has a huge chance of making era-defining history provides even more incentive to follow the action closely this year though.
The Paris Olympic Games
The Olympic Games, similarly to the standout footballing event, take place every four years and they will also feature a range of Britons expected to achieve gold-medal glory.
The convergence of the world’s leading athletes on the grandest stage will take place in Paris this time around with Team GB expected to improve on their Tokyo 2020 64-medal haul. Athletes from the nation are predicted to combine for 66 medals in France this summer according to research by Gracenote.
It could be an unforgettable British summer in the Olympics as the 67 medals achieved at Rio 2016 may even be exceeded if there are a few surprise results.
There are many more huge sporting meetings taking place across the globe this summer although from a British angle, these three are undoubtedly the biggest.
The Royal Ascot Festival will see the nation’s longest-running professional sports event grow its history further. While in the Euros and the Olympics, the nation’s greatest active athletes are positioned strongly to deliver one of the most successful British sporting summers of all time.