Watching 21 totally different sports activities in 2023 was all the time going to be tough to match or beat this yr, and neither did I actually wish to. My major focus in 2024 was simply on my three favorite sports activities; soccer, rugby and tennis. Nevertheless, there was nonetheless room to attend a couple of different sports activities on occasion, and it must be mentioned that this whole was greater than I realised I had performed! Rating them so as of desire is an unattainable process so I’ve as a substitute opted to simply record them in alphabetical order.
1. Archery – I really had tickets for the archery within the Tokyo 2020 Olympics however after all the worldwide coronavirus pandemic put paid to that. While this occasion was far eliminated the glitz and glamour of the Olympics, it nonetheless gave me an thought of what it was prefer to see it. To be sincere, it wasn’t so thrilling as with out the assistance of the TV cameras zooming in, it truly is tough to see the arrows and the goal so effectively.
2. Auto-Race – Is it actually a sport? It actually is for the sake of this submit! That is the lesser of the 4 playing sports activities in Japan alongside horse racing, keirin and boat-race. Watching the bikes flash by at about 150 kilometers per hour across the 500-meter asphalt observe for six laps every time was extra attention-grabbing than I assumed it might be. Extra particulars right here.
3. Baseball – Regardless of probably not liking the game I nonetheless ended up going to a few video games in 2024 together with my long-awaited return to the Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima, in addition to my maiden journey to the Seibu Dome in Saitama a month earlier than that. Extra particulars right here.
4. Determine Skating – Certainly one of seven new sports activities for me in 2024. As is the way in which with competitors determined by judges, it was tough for me to note too many variations within the performances. All of them appeared fairly spectacular to me! It was nice to see a British duo in motion too. Extra particulars right here.
5. Soccer – The staple of my sporting life, and 2024 noticed me attend over 30 matches throughout seven flights of Japanese mens soccer and the highest two ladies’s leagues. It’s the most I’ve ever seen in a calendar yr and extra importantly for me I used to be in a position to go to 11 grounds I’d by no means been to.
6. Gymnastics – A serious Olympic sport however one which was tough to completely respect with out the TV commentators telling you what sort of strikes the gymnasts have been doing, and the way good they have been! For me, all of it simply appeared vastly spectacular! Extra particulars right here.
7. Lacrosse – Having by no means seen various seconds of this sport, it actually was an entire new expertise for me. It’s fairly a enjoyable spectator sport however there have been many occasions after I had completely no thought what was occurring!
8. Rugby – A report breaking yr for rugby viewing as I attended 10 matches in simply 4 stadiums together with two finals and a few worldwide matches.
9. Desk Tennis – This was one among 15 new sports activities for me to see in 2023, and the one a type of that I went to see once more in 2024. This event in late August wasn’t fairly as attention-grabbing because the 2023 one however nonetheless pleasing sufficient, and I’ll watch one other match in 2025.
10. Tennis – Six days of tennis motion at 5 totally different tournaments was greater than I’ve ever attended as I took my deepest ever dive into this sport. My highlights included seeing Naomi Osaka symbolize Japan within the Billie Jean King Cup, and watching Brits Jack Draper and Katie Boulter of their respective Japan Open tournaments.
11. Yabusame – This can be a conventional Japanese sport combining horse-riding and archery with an extended historical past courting again to tenth century Japan earlier than changing into extra established and well-known within the Kamakura Interval (1192-1334). Whether or not this type of horseback archery is definitely a sport is debatable because it appears extra like a cultural demonstration ritual however lets not fear about small issues like that! Extra particulars right here.
12. Wrestling – While the leisure could also be a far cry from WWE, it’s a extra simple take a look at of ability, energy and technique and, as one thing of a sporting purist, the uncertainty of all of it makes it a extra attention-grabbing spectacle. Extra particulars right here.
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