King of the hill: Ronnie O’Sullivan

2009 World Snooker Rankings is a snapshot of the very best the sport has to offer. The Essex born Ronnie Sullivan finished the 2008/2009 season as the highest ranked pool player on the back of his fantastic start to the year, which sadly tapered off. Having won several snooker championships, including the Northern Ireland Trophy 2008, his bad form later in the year, culminating in a shock loss to Ricky Walden, upset O’Sullivan. With that behind him, the Ronnie O’Sullivan of old looked to be back in in claiming the 2009 Shanghai Masters.

The contender: Stephen Maguire

The 28-year old Stephen Maguire who turned pro at the young age of 17 had a decidedly awful 2009. Having leaped to second place in 2008, he was allowed to retain his second place spot on the 2009 World Snooker Ranking as a result of reaching the quarterfinals in six major snooker championships. But, not reaching a single final all season has weighed heavy on him and could crush his confidence if he doesn’t find form soon.

The rest

Shaun Murphy, John Higgins and Allister Carter round off the top five, with Murphy, Maguire and O’Sullivan making nearly £650,000 in prize tour money from snooker championships the season before.

As for would-be part-time pool hustlers playing for less, to get to this level, one needs to practice constantly. The kind of practice that would require one owned a pool table or snooker table, with the appropriate props and adequate competition. It’s a completely different league of ability at the top of the 2009 World Snooker Rankings.

The Fifa World Cup – South Africa

One of the most important sporting events of the year, the Fifa World Cup, might turn out to be the highlight of 2010 summer sport with host country South Africa pulling out all the stops to host a sporting spectacle. For the first time ever, the cry of the vuvuzela (noise-making trumpet) will punctuate the action. Brazil, the most successful World Cup team ever, along with Germany, Spain, Italy and a very hungry Egypt are the teams to watch. The Fifa World Cup kicks off on 11 June. While you wait for the action, why not entertain yourself with the PS3’s Fifa World Cup 2010 game?

The Tour de France

The best cyclists in the world will be getting on their bikes for the Grand Deport in Rotterdam at the beginning of July this year. This, the 97^th Tour de France, will cover almost 2,300 miles over 20 stages. The treacherous le Tourmalet will be climbed twice, and some of the highest mountain passes ever will be scaled this year. The man to watch is Lance Armstrong, who is confident that he will win his eighth title. The Tour de France starts on Saturday 3 July.

Wimbledon

What is summer sport without champagne, strawberries and Wimbledon? From Monday 21 June to Sunday 4 July, all eyes will be on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, key contenders for the title. Nadal, who won his first Wimbledon title last year, went on to become the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open, as well as being the first player since Andre Agassi to secure majors on three surfaces. And the player he defeated last year, Roger Federer, currently ranked number two in the world, will be doing his best to make a comeback.

And if these summer sports highlights aren’t enough for you, don’t miss the UEFA Champions League final on 22 May, the Monaco Grand Prix on 23 May, and the much anticipated one day cricket international between England and Australia at Lords on 3 July.

Rooney grabbed headlines after coming on as a forty second minute substitute for Michael Owen, who was benched due to a hamstring injury that has bothered him throughout his career.

Next up: UEFA

Now that the Carling Cup is over, Football fans will have to find ways to pass the time before the next big championship match, the UEFA Championship Football League, starts later on this year. Luckily there are plenty of ways to keep eager football fans occupied until kick-off.

In the meantime…

For starters, fans can keep their heads in the game and their minds active by turning on that game console that has probably been sitting in the corner, collecting dust while the Carling Cup has been on. Popping in one of the many football games that are out there may just be the fix that football fans need.

Getting a bunch of friends together for a friendly football match, or joining a football club, is a great way to stay in touch with the game. Kicking a ball around with mates after work is an easy and fun way to relax, de-stress and get some exercise.

After all that exercise, why not pop down to your nearest local and have a pint or two with some friends. If you’re really fiending for more football then take part in a football quiz night, or visit the National Football Museum.

By the time the next Championship Football League starts again fans will surely have their fingers on the football pulse.

Sustainable games

The organisers signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that they intend to host ‘sustainable games’, and will consider the environment when constructing and renovating venues. The new measures to be taken by the City of Delhi, known as the ‘Ecological Codes’, will be promoted with the assistance of UNEP in the run-up to the start of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Opportunity for transformation

In a UNEP press release, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP’s Executive Director, Achim Steiner, said that the Commonwealth Games 2010, not unlike other major sporting events like the Fifa World Cup and the Olympic Games, ‘represent an inordinate opportunity to pilot innovative ideas and transformational policies able to deliver a low carbon, resource efficient green economy.’

Targets set

The preparation leading up to great sporting events often has a dramatic impact on the environment. It is hoped that the Commonwealth Games 2010 will cause at least 50 per cent less global warming than past sporting events. The Ecological Codes drawn up in the aim of achieving this aim contain six categories: air, energy, carbon, waste, water and land. A target has been set for each category, and a way to achieve that target outlined. According to the Codes, water consumption and electricity consumption as a result of preparation for the games should be reduced by 25 per cent, and 20 per cent, respectively.

India’s first green stadium

Thyagraj Stadium, hailed the first green stadium in India, should be ready by late March (three months after its original expected completion date in December 2009). The stadium will be the first government building to use an environmentally friendly alternative to electricity – for power, it will rely on a gas-based turbine. While the delayed completion of the stadium has left people wondering whether Delhi will be ready for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Thyagraj stadium, a netball competition venue, has demonstrated to the world India’s commitment to UNEP initiatives.

India faces challenges

India, an emerging economy home to one-sixth of the world’s population, faces major challenges with regard to greenhouse gas emissions and carbon neutrality. In a major city like Delhi, transportation alone is a major contributing factor to climate change and air pollution, and it is hoped 2010 Commonwealth Games will help raise awareness in India.

The Common wealth Games 2010 might be remembered for more than just great sporting events – including table tennis, weight lifting, squash, wrestling, cycling and athletics. The 2010 Common Wealth Games may well be remembered as the sporting event that helped India go green.

Fifa’s official ticketing procedure

From Fifa’s official ticketing site, 2010 World Cup tickets have been sold in phases. The first three phases are now complete, with the fourth phase, having been started on 9 February, currently in progress. Tickets in this phase are available on a first come first serve basis, with this phase closing on 7 April, and the final phase starting on 15 April until the end of the tournament.

Ticket prices

The 2010 World Cup tickets are available in a range of pricing, depending on where you’re seated in the stadium, and which stage in the tournament games are being attended in. Tickets for the opening match are in the £120-£270 range. Group stage matches will cost between £48 and£97. The second rounds tickets are priced at £60-£120. Quarter-finals tickets start at £90 and top off at £181. And, finally, tickets for the semis are in the £151-£362 range with the finals, the most expensive match, costing between £241 and £543.

Football mania

While the lucky few who can go abroad snap up the remaining 2010 World Cup tickets, homebound fans have many options for viewing the football with unprecedented clarity. Freeview HD has been rolled out into many homes across the United Kingdom, with a large part of the marketing campaign to sell the necessary set-top boxes and HD TVs being centered around football. London is set to be the location of one of Fifa’s many global fan parks, and pubs nationwide are expecting fans to pack themselves in to make the experience as sociable as possible.