Open thread: What are you most looking forward to in the 2018 sporting year?

THERE’S A LOT on the agenda. Where to begin? Well, how about later this month?

The Australian Open doesn’t usually get many headlines in comparison to the other Grand Slams but the whole world will be tuning in to see Serena Williams make her comeback, just a few months after giving birth to her first child. It was at the same tournament in 2017 that she found out she was expecting and she went on to win anyway. Can she conjure something similar this time?

Next month, the Winter Olympics dominates and you can marvel at the lengths daredevils will go to in order to get a buzz. Watch the skeleton (athletes slide down an iced track head-first while balanced on a baking tray, basically) through your fingers and get completely immersed in everything on the ski slopes (particularly the moguls and aerials).

There’s a Pro14 final scheduled for the Aviva Stadium in May while the rest of the summer will be dominated by a World Cup taking place in eastern Europe for the very first time. But just how will Russia handle the responsibility? And how much controversy will there be?

In September, there’s the small matter of a Ryder Cup in the Parisian suburbs and – let’s face it – a lot more besides.

Let us know what you’re most looking forward to in the comments section below.

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