BLOGGING THE VIEW: Winter sporting action you don’t want to miss

If the winter blues have got you down, why not get inspired by the best in human athleticism?

Don’t miss out on some of the best sporting action this month, some of which is already under way.

Here’s what you can look out for in July.

1. Tour de France

This is one sport that’s almost worth watching just for the epic scenery! The world’s biggest cycling race got underway on Saturday, 1 July with 176 riders in 22 competing across 21 stages with the final event taking place in Paris on 23 July.

These riders will be covering some 3,405.6km climbing to a height of 56,467m which is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest some 6.38 times.

Some notable riders to watch out for are Carlos Rodríguez from INEOS Grenadiers who, at 22 years and 149 days old, will be the Tour’s youngest rider; while Maciej Bodnar from TotalEnergies will be the oldest rider at 38 years and 116 days.

2. Wimbledon

Monday, 3 July saw the start of the prestigious Wimbledon Championships in London, a top-level tennis contest that’s running until 16 July. In the men’s singles division, it’s undoubtedly the reigning champion, Novak Djokovic, who’s coming out as the favourite.

He’s currently sitting with 23 Grand Slam titles – a world record – and seems on track to continue his winning ways. Also putting up a fight for the Wimbledon title will be rising stars Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz, and Holger Rune.

In the women’s singles top-ranked Iga Swiatek is the favourite, having just won her third French Open. She’ll be up against second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, third-ranked Elena Rybakina and sixth-ranked Ons Jabeur.

3. The British Open

Staying in England, the British Open will be taking place from 16 to 23 July and is one of four Grand Slam golf tournaments hosted annually.

Taking place at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, the British Open will welcome 156 golfers competing for the Claret Jug, with the top 70 players qualifying for the final 36 holes.

Expect the 2022 US Open Championships winner Matt Fitzpatrick to be looking for the big win, alongside Rory McIlroy and even the 2006 winner, Tiger Woods.

4. Netball World Cup

It’s great news for South Africa as this year’s Vitality Netball World Cup 2023 will be hosted in Cape Town from 28 July to 6 August. This year, 16 teams will compete based on their Netball World Rankings.

Outside the Commonwealth Games, the Netball World Cup is the biggest netball tournament and takes place every four years. This year’s favourite is the Number 1 ranked team, Australia.

5. FIFA Women’s World Cup

As equality in football gets even closer, spectators are getting excited for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup running in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August.

Defending champions, the United States are on track to become the first team to win the Women’s World Cup three times in a row, taking its fifth world cup win.

However, they’ll be facing big competition from hosts, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Olympic champions Canada, UEFA champions England, as well as Germany, Sweden, and Nigeria.

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