This year has seen a lot of ups and downs in the sports world. From the glorious Paris Olympics 2024 to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, fans were always on their toes thanks to the continuous dopamine which came from different sports in the world. (Year-Ender | More Sports News)
As the year is about to end, let's revisit a few moments wh๊ich were strange in nature but hold significant value in the sports world. In case you🐬 missed these moments, let's look back at them
1. WNBA Saw Huge Surge In Ticket Demand
The arrival of Caitlin Clark and other college stars in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has led to a significant increas༒e in ticket demand for the 2024 season. StubHub ha𒅌s reported a remarkable 93 per cent rise in sales compared to last season.
The Indiana Fever, who selected Iowa Hawkeyes sensation Caitlin Clark as the number one overall pick in Ap♌ril’s WNBA draft, has experienced a remarkable 13-fold increase in sales on StubHub.
According to the online ticketing platform, the Las Vegas Aces are currently the most in-demand WNBA team based on cumulative ticket 🌠sales for the upcoming season. They rank ahead of the New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm, and Chicago Sky, which complete the top five teams.
Additionally, StubHub reported that ticket salꦏes for the Aces have nearly tripled, with an impressive increase of 190 per cent cᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚompared to the same period last season. Furthermore, the franchise is set to host three of the ten highest-selling games of the season, more than any other team.
2. Records Tumble In T20 Cricket
T20 cricket in 2024 saw a massive boom as India won their second ICC T20I World Cup title after 17 years. Indian cricket team recorded their highest T20I total this year in October against Bangladesh when they made 297/6 while batting first in Hyderabad. Sanju Samson played a 111-run knock in just 47 balls.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 saw huge to⛎tals regularly. Batters displayed dominance in the first half but bowlers also joined the party in the later stages when Mitchell Starc, the then high🐼est-paid player in the IPL history, proved his worth and helped his team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win the title.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the eventual finalist of the 2024 seaꦓson, set the record for the highest total in franchise cricket by amassing 287/3 against RCB in Bengaluru. They broke their own record of 277/3 against MI which also came this season. In fact, the top-four highest totals in the IPL came this year.
Urvil Patel of Gujarat and Abhishek Sharma of Punjab smashed the joint second-fastes༒t ton in T20 cricket in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. The domestic season of cricket in India saw many thrilling encounters including the Vijay Hazare Trophy match where Anmolpreet Singh hit the fastest One-day ton by an Indian, which is also the third fastest by any batter, in just 35 balls while playing for Punjab.
3. Records In Football
Cristiano Ronaldo became the only player in the history of ꧒the sport to score 900 goals in his competitive career. He achieved this feat during a UEFA Nations League match against Croatia by scoring the winning goal in the 34th minute.
Another football legend, Lionel Messi became the p𓃲layer with the most appearances in the history of the CONMEBOL Copa America.ꦚ He surpassed Sergio Livingstone's record in the opening match of the 2024 season.
Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior top the chart of the most valuable football players in 2024. Haaland plays for Premier League club Manchester City. Vinicius, who also earned h♍is first 'The Best FIFA Men's Football Player of the Year' award, play꧒s for Real Madrid. Both players were valued at INR 1600 Crore approx.
Rodri also won his first Ballon d'Or award for the 'Best Men's Player of the Year 2024' category. The Spanish midfielder collected his award using crutches as he is recovering from an ACL injury. Real Madrid boycotted the awꦐard ceremony.
4. Hockey Booms Among Indian Fans
India saw the revival of hockey when the Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian men's team managed to bag another bronze medal in the Paris Olympics 2024 to win back-to-back Olympic medals in hockey after a 50-year hiatus. The Indian team clinched the bronze m🐼edal in a thrilling 2-1 victory over Spain.
India went on to win gold medals in the AFC Champions Trophy 2024 in the me﷽n's and women both categories to solidify their stature in the world of hockey. India also hosted the AFC Women's Champions Trophy 20🔯24 in Bihar's Rajgir.
We also saw the revival of the Hockey India League (HIL) for the men's and women's categories. The relaunch of t🍷he franchise-based hockey in India is aimed at bringing back the pa🍰st glory of India in the sport. The HIL will start on December 28.
5. India In Paris Paralympics 2024
India's most successful Paralympic campaign took place at 💝the 2024 Paris Games, where athletes secured a record 29 medals—7 gold, 9 silver, and 13 bronze. This achievement marks a significant milestone in India's Paralympic history and highlights the country's growing prominence in para-sports on the global stage.
The performances were led by standout athletes. Avani Lekhara won gold in the Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1, while Nitesh Kumar excelled in badminton, clinching gold in the Men's Singles SL3. Sumit Antil and Dharambir ad𒐪ded gold medals in the Men's Javelin Throw F64 and Men's Club Throw F51, respectively.
Harvinder Singh secu💙red gold in the Men's Individual Recurve Open, and Navdeep Singh triumphed in the Men's Javelin Throw F41. Additionally, Suhas Yathiraj earned silver in Men's Singles SL4 badminton, and Nishad Kumar secured silver in Men's High Jump T47. Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi took bronze in Archery's Mixed Team Compound Open.
The Paris Paralympics 2024 will be remembered as𓂃 a defining moment in India’s sporting history.
