Sports and the Grim Reaper

How many can you tick off? All 10? Doubtful. You’ll see why in a minute. Here they are: The 10 sporting events and their stunning venues that you simply have to experience before you die.

10. The Hong Kong Stadium Rugby 7s
Don’t like rugby? It doesn’t seem to matter. You go there for the camaraderie and, of course the booze. If you come back in one piece after three to five days of perpetually getting trolleyed alongside 40,000 other mullered men and women, then you’ve done very well.

9. The Masters at Augusta
Perfection for the golfer, fascinating for the spectator. How will the world’s best fare on the world’s most pampered piece of grass? History, luxury and beauty – Augusta National Golf Club is the venue that epitomises a game which anyone, anywhere, is privileged to play.

8. A Wembley FA Cup Final
If you’re only in it to say you’ve done all 10 and you’ve been to the old Wembley, then go ahead and put a tick in the box. Go to the Community Shield if your resources are light but an FA Cup final would be your absolute pinnacle. The old crumbling Wembley was special enough, but the new one is apparently so feature-laden that, even if you’re a woman, you don’t have to queue for a toilet.

7. The Wimbledon Championships
Summer in England writes relief all over the faces of it’s populace. Don’t be fooled, Brits are not tennis people. It’s all about perfectly manicured lawns, strawberries and cream (even at ridiculous prices) and the possibility of some sunshine. The Wimbledon crowd welcomes and loves its international stars, but if there’s a Brit rumbling his way to the quarter-finals, sit back and absorb the nation’s fervor.

6. Football at the Maracana Stadium
It may have seen better days but those days were historic. In 1950, some 199,500 spectators squeezed into this venue to watch Brazil win the World Cup for the first time. Today it still holds 95,000. Go and watch a club game where the passion is electric (unless you can score a ticket to the 2014 World Cup Final).

5. New York YANKEES vs Boston RED SOX at the New Yankee Stadium
Having been to 31 Major League Baseball parks, I’m fairly well qualified to advise here. Fenway Park is over rated, Dodger Stadium is beautiful and any of the stadia built since the early 1990s makes for a great day out. But the first of two reasons why nobody can claim 10 ticks on this checklist is that the new Yankee Stadium will be completed in 2009. Witnessing one of sport’s biggest rivalries, played out in a new stadium in the world’s best city will take some beating.

4. Barcelona vs Real Madrid at the Nou Camp
Empty, the Nou Camp is imposing, with three enormous tiers of seating that get even higher opposite the main stand. I can only imagine what it would be like filled with crazed Catalans as they take on hated rivals Real in a crux La Liga battle. This is perhaps the most awe-inspiring stadium in the world.

3. Las Vegas boxing
There’s no real need to be specific about the venue. Whether it’s the MGM Grand, Caesars Palace or any number of casino locations, world championship boxing in the city of sin is a must-see. The difficulty these days is finding a superfight to live up to the venue. If you missed Floyd Mayweather’s KO of Ricky Hatton in December, don’t hold your breath waiting for the next good reason to get ready to rumble in the Nevada Desert.

2. A Cape Town Test Match
Cricket is many things to many people. To me it’s about opening a nice bottle of wine, sitting back and being totally hypnotised by the game, even if it lasts for five days. There would seem to be no better place to absorb yourself totally than the picturesque Newlands Cricket Ground at the foot of Table Mountain. Newlands is a cricket-fan’s nirvana.

1. The Singapore Grand Prix
And here’s the other reason why nobody can yet claim 10 out of 10. The Formula 1 race in Singapore will be held this September and is set to become the signature race in the F1 calendar. The skyscrapers, the Padang, the casino, the Singapore Flyer and much more would be enough, but add to the mix F1’s first ever night race. What you get is the best thing to happen to both Singapore and motor racing for many a year. Get yourselves down there!