World Sports in 2015

A year after the World Cup and a year before the European Championship, the most significant event in this sport occurred outside the green rectangle as the heads of FIFA and UEFA were dismissed from their positions. The ethics committee of the world football federation banned Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini from all football activities for eight years. The U.S. Attorney, in collaboration with the Swiss police, arrested several high-ranking officials from FIFA and continental confederations, with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch repeatedly revealing the extensive dimensions of FIFA's corruption. 27 current or former FIFA officials, including eight former members of its executive committee, were accused of accepting bribes related to issues such as broadcasting rights or hosting grants. In addition to widespread and organized financial corruption, terrorism and violence also cast a shadow over football last year. The friendly match between the national teams of France and Germany was overshadowed by terrorist attacks in Paris. Several official and friendly matches in France, Belgium, and Germany were canceled. The World Athletics Federation was accused of negligence and violations regarding doping. The doping scandal primarily targeted Russia, with investigations by the World Anti-Doping Agency involving several prominent Russian athletes and coaches, including gold and bronze medalists from the London Olympics. A report from an independent commission of this organization highlighted Russia's deliberate involvement in the systematic doping of its athletes and infiltration into WADA laboratories in Moscow. The independent commission's report emphasized that a similar situation occurred during the Sochi Winter Olympics, indicating that the violations were not limited to athletics. In the last days of the year, doping tests for four Russian weightlifters, including Alexey Lovchev in the super heavyweight category, returned positive results. He had won a gold medal and broken records previously held by Hossein Rezazadeh at the World Championships hosted by the U.S. Following Bulgaria's ban from participating in Olympic weightlifting competitions, Russia and Azerbaijan will also face heavy penalties, details of which will be announced in the new calendar year. The Kenyan and Russian athletics teams also face the risk of being banned from the 2016 Olympics. In men's and women's football, the Netherlands was the biggest failure in qualifying for the European Championship, unable to reach the final 24 teams, while the Welsh national team, led by Gareth Bale, achieved a historic qualification for the tournament. The increase in teams in the final stage also facilitated the advancement of smaller teams. Although Wales qualified for France not through UEFA's leniency but by stopping Belgium (the top-ranked FIFA team) in both legs. Northern Ireland also reached the finals for the first time. Iceland celebrated its first appearance in the tournament. England, as the only team to win all its matches, had a strong qualification with 27 points from 9 games. After the host France, England was the first team to qualify for the finals. Last year, Barcelona triumphed over Juventus to win the UEFA Champions League, concluding their brilliant season with three trophies. This was the fifth title for the Blaugrana in Champions League history and their fourth in the last nine years. With this victory, Barcelona matched Liverpool and Bayern Munich, who have also won five titles. Real Madrid, with 10 trophies, and AC Milan, with seven championships, lead European teams. The 2015 Women's World Cup final was held between the USA and Japan, where the USA won decisively 5-2, claiming the championship trophy. This match, attended by over 53,000 people in Vancouver, created an unprecedented atmosphere in all editions of the Women's World Cup. Women's football is rapidly growing, with this year's excitement, thrill, and intensity surpassing all previous editions. The intersection of the success of American footballers with the Fourth of July celebrations and the anniversary of their country's independence reflects a 'national determination' to win the cup. The hashtag 'One Nation, One Team' was shared in unprecedented volumes, marking a unique moment for women's football. Even the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt symbolically showed its support on deck. The U.S. Soccer Federation similarly featured a photo of Hope Solo, the goalkeeper who conceded only one goal until the final, on a one-dollar bill. Carly Lloyd, wearing number 10, was also featured on a ten-dollar bill! In volleyball, the World Cup, World League, and Olympic qualifying competitions were the most important volleyball events in 2015. France won the World League title by defeating Serbia. France suffered only one defeat against the USA out of 18 matches in the World League. This team, guided by Laurent Tillie, reached the finals from level 2 and ultimately stood on the top podium for the first time. The remarkable team included Antonin Rouzier, Erwin N'Gapeth, Kevin Le Roux, Benjamin Toniout, Nicolas Maréchal, and Genia Grbić in key roles. France's championship came despite the team's final appearance receiving little media coverage in their country. The Tour de France in cycling and the Davis Cup in tennis left little room for volleyball news coverage. The 13th edition of the World Cup in this sport concluded with the USA's victory, qualifying them and Italy for the Olympics. The USA defeated Argentina in their last match, achieving 30 points to claim the World Cup title in Japan. Argentina, under Julio Velasco's leadership, became the fourth country to qualify for the Olympics in South American qualifiers. Velasco, after leaving the Iranian national team, quickly transformed his team into an Olympic contender. In tennis, Novak Djokovic won the US Open, the last of the four Grand Slam events, defeating Roger Federer in the final to reach double digits in Grand Slam titles at the age of 28. He has won five times in Melbourne, three times at Wimbledon, and twice at the US Open. Djokovic has yet to win the only clay Grand Slam, the French Open, despite reaching the finals three times. His performance in 2015 was outstanding, reaching the finals of all four Grand Slams and winning three. He ended the year with a significant lead in the rankings. In the Davis Cup, Britain, led by Andy Murray, won the championship after 79 years. Murray defeated his Belgian opponent David Goffin in three consecutive sets in Ghent, securing Britain's victory. Murray also won the singles match on the first day. On the second day, Andy and his brother Jamie Murray, a doubles specialist, overcame the Goffin-Darcis duo. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, two of the tennis world's enduring figures, also had a good season. Federer decided to add Ivan Ljubicic to his coaching staff to enhance his technical quality against Djokovic in the upcoming season. In women's tennis, Serena Williams ended the year ranked first again, with Romanian Simona Halep in second place. The most exciting and eventful matches occurred at the US Open, culminating in Flavia Pennetta's victory over her compatriot Roberta Vinci in the final. Both experienced their first Grand Slam singles final. Vinci created a significant upset by eliminating Serena Williams, who had won all three previous Grand Slams in 2015, preventing her from breaking the record of winning all four titles in a single season. Meanwhile, Martina Hingis from Switzerland was the most successful tennis player of the year, winning the women's doubles at Wimbledon and the US Open, along with three mixed titles, concluding a dream year with five Grand Slam titles. The World Championships concluded with Kenyan athletes winning seven gold medals. A major surprise occurred in the men's javelin throw, where Julius Yego from Kenya became the champion, placing his country ahead of Jamaica and the USA in terms of gold medals. Kenyans also won gold in the 800 meters with David Rudisha and in the 400 meters hurdles with Nicholas Bett. Usain Bolt remained the standout athlete at these championships, as the Jamaican sprinter surpassed ten global gold medals at the age of 29, with six Olympic golds. He triumphed in the 200 meters, just like in the 100 meters, against Justin Gatlin. In the women's 400 meters, American Allyson Felix became the champion. In the triple jump, her compatriot Christian Taylor won the gold medal. The women's pole vault gold went to Yarisley Silva from Cuba. Canadian Shawn Barber also won the men's competition with a height of one meter more. In the women's 400 meters hurdles, Susanna Huhnova from the Czech Republic became the champion, marking another surprise. Shelly-Ann Fraser from Jamaica defended her title in the women's 100 meters. The fastest woman in the world has seven world golds and two Olympic golds. She could improve her record in Rio de Janeiro. In MMA, the new but popular and lucrative sport of mixed martial arts had a tumultuous and eventful year. American star Ronda Rousey needed only 34 seconds to defeat her Brazilian opponent and defend her championship title, retaining the UFC belt. After this match, she invited Floyd Mayweather to a fight, a topic that received significant media coverage. However, at the end of the year, she lost to her compatriot Holly Holm in a short period, losing both the belt and the intense media attention surrounding her. Irish Conor McGregor was also a star in this sport in 2015, easily defeating his Brazilian rival Jose Aldo in the last major event of the year and retaining the championship belt. Both fighters had engaged in a verbal battle for months, adding to the intensity of the match. In boxing, American champion Floyd Mayweather won against former world champion Andre Berto in his 49th professional fight, remaining the world champion. With this fight, he retired from championship boxing. Previously, in the most expensive boxing match in history, Mayweather defeated Filipino Manny Pacquiao after 12 rounds of close competition. The 38-year-old Mayweather has never lost in professional boxing. The 'Fight of the Century' took place in Las Vegas, with Mayweather earning $180 million for his victory. Pacquiao's share was $120 million, the highest amount ever paid to a loser in sports history. In the ranking of the highest-paid athletes globally, even before this match, Mayweather was significantly ahead of others. The earnings of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in football, Kobe Bryant in basketball, Roger Federer in tennis, Tiger Woods in golf, or Formula One stars cannot compare to the retired American boxer. Ticket prices for the match reached a record high of $350,000 in the open market, and even watching the match on television cost nearly $100 for American viewers. Last year, British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury managed to defeat Wladimir Klitschko and claim the world heavyweight boxing title. Klitschko, who is 39 years old, had not lost a match since 2004 until his defeat against the English rival. Following Fury's championship, his comments regarding women, abortion, and homosexuality became controversial. Manchester police announced they were investigating a complaint received after Fury's remarks on the BBC. The controversial boxer, however, stated that he hates no one and loves all people to moderate his comments. British driver Lewis Hamilton of the Mercedes team became the Formula One champion for the third time. The 30-year-old Hamilton had an impressive season, reaching ten victories by winning the US Grand Prix. He had previously won Formula One in 2008 and 2014. In a year when Michael Schumacher was recovering out of the media's sight and his health status remains uncertain, his compatriots Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel finished in second and third place. Two Finns (Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas) along with Felipe Massa from Brazil also ranked in the following positions. Notable Spanish driver Fernando Alonso did not rank higher than 17th. In basketball, 2015 ended with the NBA competitions in full swing. The Golden State Warriors, led by the stunning performance of Stephen Curry, achieved a remarkable record of 29 wins and only one loss by Christmas. In the final days of the year, Steve Kerr's team faced Cleveland in a rematch of last season's finals, securing victory against superstar LeBron James. The defending champions, with players like Curry, the best shooter in the world, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Barbosa, are the top contenders for the championship this season. For the men's basketball competitions in the 2016 Olympics, besides Brazil as the host, teams from the USA as world champions along with Australia, Nigeria, Venezuela, Argentina, Spain, Lithuania, and China, the Asian champions, have qualified. In handball, France defeated the international team of Qatar in the final of the 2015 World Championships, becoming world champions for the tenth time. Poland finished in third place.