Top Five Sporting Events to Look Forward to in 2015

The year 2014 turned out to be a spectacular one for international sports. 2015 could well be better. From the World Athletics Championships to the Copa America, from a mouth-watering Formula One season to the ICC World Cup, there is a lot to look forward to for sports fans. Here are 5 events that you should mark on your calendars:

THE ICC WORLD CUP

The 2015 ICC World Cup starts on Valentines Day, but there won't be too much love on display as 14 teams compete for the biggest prize in ODI cricket. The 11th edition of the tournament is being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. This is the second time these two countries will be hosting the tournament

India will go in as the defending Champions and will begin their campaign with a clash againsr arch-rivals Pakistan on February 15. MS Dhoni, who has retired from Tests will be back as the ODI Captain. The format of the tournament is such that the top teams, barring upsets should all qualify for the Quarter Finals. From there on the top teams will all be just 3 wins away from the coveted trophy

India's current tour of Australia should go a long way in helping the Men in Blue prepare for the conditions.

THE COPA AMERICA

Twelve teams, split into 3 groups will be competing in South America's showpiece football event, the Copa America. The tournament will be played in Chile and begins on June 11.

Eight-time champions Brazil have been drawn with their 2014 World Cup quarter-final opponents Colombia, who went down 2-1 in that thrilling encounter with the Samba boys. The 2014 World Cup runners-up Argentina meanwhile have holders and record 15-time champions Uruguay in their group.

Luis Suarez will be missing the tournament, since he is still serving the 9 competitive match ban for Uruguay for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in the World Cup.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

The 2015 Australian Open, which begins on January 19 will be watched very closely by all tennis fans and especially by fans of Rafael Nadal. The 14-time Grand Slam Champion underwent an appendectomy in November 2014 and has admitted that he might not be 100% fit by the time the Australian Open starts.

If Rafa is competitive, it will be a fascinating three-way battle. A resurgent Roger Federer, who finished 2014 as the World No. 2 will go all out for Grand Slam number 18. While World Number 1 Novak Djokovic will perhaps go in as the favourite.

FORMULA ONE SEASON

The 2015 Formula One Season also promises to be an extremely competitive and exciting one. Two of the best Formula One drivers in the world, Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso will be racing in new cars this season. Vettel has moved to Ferrari at a time when the Italian giants are rebuilding. Double World Champion Alonso meanwhile who left McLaren in November 2007 is back with the British team

Both Vettel and Alonso are hungry to win consistently. But to achieve that, they will have match up to the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who dominated the 2014 season, winning 16 of the 19 races between them.

WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

In August Beijing's main sports stadium, the Bird's Nest will be used for the biggest sporting event in China since the 2008 Summer Olympics, the World Athletics Championships.

The 2015 World Athletics Championships from August 22-30 will see the world's best athletes compete with each other. But the one man everyone will have their eyes on is the fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt. Bolt has a special relationship with the World Championships. It was in the 2009 edition in Berlin that Bolt set new World records in both the 100 and 200m races.

The Jamaican has already issued a warning of sorts to his competitors, saying that he thinks he can break his own existing records again.