2024 in sports: Olympics, men's Euros and more

Five German cities (Mannheim, Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Cologne) are to host the European Men's Handball Championship from January 10 to 28. Two matches — including Germany's preliminary round contest against Switzerland — will be played in front of 50,000 spectators in Dusseldorf's football stadium. The favorites are Denmark, who have won the last three world championships.

Doha, Qatar hosts the World Aquatics Championships from February 2 to 18. This will be only seven months since the last championships in Fukuoka, Japan, with the previous championships postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On February 11, the eyes of the world will be on Paradise, south of Las Vegas, as the Allegiant Stadium hosts the 58th Super Bowl, likely the biggest show on the planet. The event is known as much for its halftime show as the game itself. The headliner for Super Bowl LVIII is American singer Usher.

Traffic circle, omega loop and labyrinth are the names of some of the sections of the 1,300-meter bobsleigh and luge track in Winterberg. This is where athletes will plunge down the ice track between February 19 and March 3 for the world championships of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. The small town in western Germany will be hosting the event for a fifth time.

The Ice Hockey World Championship will take place in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia in 2024. Defending champions Canada are bound to be among the favorites again. Germany came close last year, losing a hard-fought final to the Canadians. The makeup of the national teams is heavily influenced by which NHL players are available, as the tournament clashes with the Stanley Cup playoffs in North America.

From June 7 to 12, Europe's best track-and-field athletes will be running, jumping and throwing at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. However, it is questionable whether all the stars will actually take part and arrive in top form. After all, they'll be training with the goal of reaching their peak fitness for the Olympic Games in Paris six weeks later.

Germany hosts the Euros from June 14 to July 14. However, hopes aren't high for the home team, now coached by Julian Nagelsmann. The former Bayern manager was brought in on a short-term contract after Hansi Flick failed to lead Germany out of the group stage at last winter's World Cup in Qatar. The recent defeats in friendlies against Turkey and Austria have done nothing to raise expectations.

The 2024 edition of the world's most prestigious cycling race starts on June 29 in Florence and ends for the first time in Nice rather than Paris, due to preparations for the Olympic Games. The final stage is a time trial — for the first time since 1989, when Greg LeMond overtook Laurent Fignon and won by 8 seconds. The women ride from August 12 to 18. Their tour ends in Alpe d'Huez.

The Olympic Games open on July 26, 2024, with the competitions not just hosted by Paris and the surrounding area. The sailing events are slated for Marseille, and surfing will take place off the South Pacific island of Tahiti. Football, basketball and handball events will be held in other French cities. This is the third time Paris will host the Olympics, following the 1900 and 1924 Summer Games.

Seventeen days after the Olympics end, the Paralympics open in Paris on August 28. Between then and September 8, medals will be awarded in 22 sports and 549 separate events. That's 220 more than at the Olympics, the reason being the different disability categories. A total of 13 Paralympics winners in the women's 100 meters are expected to be in Paris.

Starting at the end of August, the race will take place in the Mediterranean off Barcelona to see which team will be allowed to compete against the defending champions from New Zealand in the final in October. The Cup is the oldest sailing regatta in the world. It was first held in 1851 off the Isle of Wight in England, with the winners taking home the silver jug.

Europe's best female handball players will compete for European Championship medals during the tournament, to be hosted by Austria and Hungary starting on November 28. For the first time, 24 teams will be taking part. However, it has yet to be determined who will be taking part alongside the two host teams. Qualification runs until the beginning of April 2024.