From teenagers sweeping to Grand Slam tennis titles to England reaching a major football final, an Olympic Games like no other and the introduction of a brand new cricket competition, it has been a hugely eventful year in sport.
Off the field it has been just as transformative, with private equity and, increasingly, cryptocurrency and blockchain companies taking sports in new directions.
But how closely were you paying attention? Test your recollection with City A.M.’s fiendishly difficult Big Sport Quiz of 2021.
1. How many matches did British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu win at the US Open, including qualifying rounds, on her way to the title?
a) 7
b) 8
c) 9
d) 10
2. Spanish golfer Jon Rahm won his first major championship. Which one?
a) Masters
b) US PGA
c) US Open
d) The Open
3. How many football clubs initially signed up to the European Super League breakaway?
a) 8
b) 10
c) 12
d) 14
4. Exeter Chiefs and Harlequins played out the highest scoring Premiership Rugby final in history. How many points were scored?
a) 55
b) 69
c) 78
d) 85
5. Which franchise won the inaugural women’s edition of new cricket competition The Hundred?
a) Trent Rockets
b) Oval Invincibles
c) Southern Brave
d) Birmingham Phoenix
6. Which was the lowest ranked Olympic nation to get at least two medals of each colour in Tokyo?
a) Azerbaijan
b) Ethiopia
c) Chinese Taipei
d) Turkey
7. Fifa was very keen to increase the frequency of football World Cups to every two years, but which country, and ally of Fifa president Gianni Infantino, first proposed the change?
a) Switzerland
b) Italy
c) Qatar
d) Saudi Arabia
8. Boxer Tyson Fury concluded his trilogy of fights with Deontay Wilder by knocking out the American in which round?
a) 5th
b) 7th
c) 9th
d) 11th
9. NFTs exploded this year. Which member of Leicester City’s Premier League winning team put up for sale a video clip of the players celebrating their famous triumph as a non-fungible token?
a) Jamie Vardy
b) Kasper Schmeichel
c) Wes Morgan
d) Christian Fuchs
10. Rugby League World Cup organisers were forced to postpone the tournament after which two countries refused to travel to England to take part?
a) Fiji and New Zealand
b) Fiji and Australia
c) Australia and Tonga
d) Australia and New Zealand
11. Gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of four finals at the Olympics, citing mental health concerns. How many medals did she win in Tokyo?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
12. NBA star and critic of the Chinese and Turkish regimes Enes Kanter added which word as an additional surname after becoming a US citizen?
a) Freedom
b) Washington
c) Liberty
d) Productive
13. England Test cricket captain Joe Root has eight knocks of 100 or more against India. How many of those were this year?
a) 0
b) 2
c) 4
d) 6
14. The All Blacks scored a record 101 tries this calendar year, but who held the previous record of 92?
a) England (1997)
b) Argentina (2003)
c) Australia (2008)
d) New Zealand (2012)
15. Chelsea swept the board domestically but who did they lose to in the Women’s Champions League final?
a) Lyon
b) Juventus
c) Real Madrid
d) Barcelona
16. Which motorsport star retired this year, prompting former title rivals to lament the end of an era?
a) Jean-Eric Vergne
b) Lewis Hamilton
c) Fernando Alonso
d) Valentino Rossi
17. Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Al Boum Photo could only manage third at the famous jump meet. Who won the coveted cup this year?
a) Minella Indo
b) A Plus Tard
c) Native River
d) Kemboy
18. Which male British player won the biggest title yet of his career at Indian Wells in October?
a) Dan Evans
b) Kyle Edmund
c) Liam Broady
d) Cameron Norrie
19. Which long-established non-league football team won promotion to the English Football League for the first time in their 123-year history?
a) Barrow
b) Sutton United
c) Harrogate Town
d) Salford City
20. In golf, Collin Morikawa won the European Tour’s order of merit, the Race to Dubai. How many events did he play on European soil in 2021?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
21. Which Premier League football team was forced to suspend a partnership with mysterious cryptocurrency company 3Key Technologies days after the deal was announced?
a) Manchester United
b) Manchester City
c) Chelsea
d) Arsenal
22. England’s women’s rugby coach was named World Rugby coach of the year after his side continued their unbeaten run, What is their name?
a) Maggie Alphonsi
b) Eddie Jones
c) Emily Scarratt
d) Simon Middleton
23. How many wickets did England get in this year’s T20 World Cup?
a) 38
b) 46
c) 52
d) 59
24. Cyclist Mark Cavendish equalled Eddy Merckx’s record for Tour de France stage wins, but how many does he have?
a) 28
b) 31
c) 34
d) 37
25. Springbok director of rugby Rassie Erasmus was banned from coaching for a period of time for doing what in the British and Irish Lions series?
a) Bringing the game into disrepute by calling Lions coach Gatland a clown
b) Refusing to give the ball back to Lions players when it went into touch
c) Hiding the kicking tee to waste time on the clock
d) Making an hour-long video criticising officials
26. Which of the following positions does Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi also hold?
a) chair of beIN Media Group
b) chair of European Club Association
c) member of Uefa executive committee
d) all of the above
27. USA won golf’s Ryder Cup by a landslide, but by what score did Europe cause an upset in the Solheim Cup?
a) 15-13
b) 16-12
c) 17-11
d) 18-10
28. Which US sports league defied a difficult market by securing a $113bn package of new media rights deals, representing an 80 per cent increase on current contracts?
a) NBA
b) MLB
c) NFL
d) NHL
29. Harry Kane and which other England footballer scored in the Euro 2020 final penalty shootout against Italy?
a) Harry Maguire
b) Raheem Sterling
c) Marcus Rashford
d) Luke Shaw
30. Owen Farrell went fifth in the all-time list when he surpassed 1,000 points this year, but how many points did first-placed Dan Carter have when he retired?
a) 1,134
b) 1,598
c) 1,702
d) 1,992
31. Tennis star Naomi Osaka revealed her battle with depression after withdrawing from the French Open in a dispute over media duties. How many matches had she already played?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
32. Who won English cricket’s T20 blast at Edgbaston?
a) Somerset
b) Hampshire Hawks
c) Sussex Sharks
d) Kent Spitfires
33. How many combined golds did Team GB and Paralympics GB achieve at the Tokyo Games this year?
a) 52
b) 63
c) 71
d) 90
34. Private equity continued to buy up sports properties. In which European football league did CVC invest €2bn for a share of future media rights?
a) Serie A
b) Ligue 1
c) LaLiga
d) Bundesliga
35. In sailing, Emirates Team New Zealand retained the America’s Cup, but who did they beat in the final?
a) American Magic
b) Stars & Stripes
c) Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
d) INEOS Team UK
36. Which Premier League owner bought a T20 cricket franchise this year?
a) Fenway Sports Group (Liverpool)
b) Tony Bloom (Brighton)
c) Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (Newcastle)
d) Glazer family (Manchester United)
37. In which sport did Team GB achieve the most medals at the Tokyo Olympics?
a) Cycling
b) Swimming
c) Boxing
d) Equestrian
38. Sebastian Vettel made the most overtakes in the Formula 1 championship. How many?
a) 98
b) 119
c) 132
d) 151
39. Toulouse won rugby’s Champions Cup for a record fifth time. Who did they beat in the final?
a) Scarlets
b) La Rochelle
c) Saracens
d) Leinster
40. Tom Brady this year became just the second NFL player after Drew Brees to pass which landmark number of passing yards?
a) 60,000
b) 70,000
c) 80,000
d) 90,000
Big Sport Quiz: The Answers
1 d); 2 c); 3 c); 4 c); 5 b); 6 d); 7 d); 8 d); 9 d); 10 d); 11 c); 12 a); 13 c); 14 b); 15 d); 16 d); 17 a); 18 d); 19 b); 20 a); 21 b); 22 d); 23 b); 24 c); 25 d); 26 d); 27 a); 28 c); 29 a); 30 b); 31 b); 32 d); 33 b); 34 c); 35 c); 36 d); 37 a); 38 c); 39 b); 40 c).
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