Fast and furious ... International Rugby Sevens.Credit: Getty Images
SANTOS TOUR DOWN UNDER
The 2010 Santos Tour Down Under promises to be yet another scintillating instalment of the event now famous for kicking off the world cycling calendar. With last year's event featuring the return of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, the 2010 event is set for a similar injection with news the cycling great will be back, this time with his new Team RadioShack in tow. Fuelled partly by Armstrong's return, last year's event drew a record crowd of 760,500 people and was watched by a worldwide television audience of 200 million.
"If people haven't got the opportunity to go to Europe to see some of the big races, then the next best thing is on their doorstep here in South Australia," the race director, Mike Turtur, says.
"It's a great way of seeing the teams and riders that take part in the Tour de France. Our two major coups for next year is the debut of RadioShack with Armstrong and also the new English team Sky, which will be of great interest to the media and general public."
January 17-24.
Stage 1 from Clare to Tanunda.
See tourdownunder.com.au.
INTERNATIONAL RUGBY SEVENS
Involving 16 international teams from countries including New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji and Argentina, this star-studded two-day rugby fest represents the fourth consecutive occasion Adelaide has hosted the fifth leg of the IRB Sevens World Series. Held at Adelaide Oval, last year's day-night event drew nearly 30,000 spectators.
"The sevens format is an extremely exciting spectacle," the chief executive of SA Rugby, Lachlan Clark, says. "There's 44 games over the course of the weekend, seven-minute halves, some great tries and close finishes. But more than that, the whole thing is a festival. There's a real carnival atmosphere around the ground. People come along with an expectation to have a really great time and they watch some great rugby while they're at it."
A source of invaluable international exposure, last year's South Australian spectacular was broadcast in countries and regions including New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Hong Kong, the Middle East, Britain, France and Ireland.
March 19-21.
Adelaide Oval.
WORLD TENNIS CHALLENGE
The South Australian tennis world is celebrating after securing 17-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe to head the player list for the second World Tennis Challenge.
The Challenge format involves four countries playing against each other, with each team represented by a current player and past legend of the game. McEnroe, representing the Americas, will be joined by Australasia's Pat Cash and Europe's Henri Leconte.
The chief executive of Tennis SA, Alistair MacDonald, says: ''This will be McEnroe's only tennis appearance in Australia in 2010 so we are very fortunate.
''I can't think of a bigger tennis personality to visit Adelaide in a long time. He is a great talent and great entertainer and I think he will rekindle some of those classic days where the personalities really came out on the court.
''McEnroe has indicated that he loves the concept and I think this event will attract people from fans through to tennis players who want to watch him play as well as maybe grab a racquet and have a hit in the WTC Be Active Challenge.''
MacDonald says the WTC line-up also includes current top 20 players such as Radek Stepanek.
January 12-14.
Memorial Drive, Adelaide.
CLIPSAL 500
It's not every day you get to witness the awesome spectacle of V8 Supercars blasting around the streets of Adelaide at more than 250km/h. No surprise, then, that the Clipsal 500 has become Australia's largest and most successful domestic motor racing event. The first round of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship series, the Clipsal 500 is a four-day carnival that features attractions including concerts, an air show and stunt demonstrations. As for the racing, event chief executive Jason Allen says the city's famous street circuit provides one of motor sport's great backdrops.
"Having a street circuit brings another dimension," he says. "You get fast racing, and the ambience of hearing the roar [of the V8s] around concrete is something else. It's also so accessible. We're just in the fringe of the city so you can walk there from your hotel or apartment. And as the first Australian race of the year it's also the first opportunity enthusiasts will have to see their favourite drivers and teams in action."
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