2012 in sports various events were held, notably the Summer Olympics were held in London, United Kingdom.
Events by month
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
- Super Bowl XLVI â the New York Giants (NFC) won 21âÂÂ17 over the New England Patriots (AFC)
- Location: Lucas Oil Stadium
- Attendance: 68,658
- MVP: Eli Manning, QB (New York)
- January 9 â BCS National Championship Game in New Orleans (2011 season):
- The Alabama Crimson Tide won 21-0 over the LSU Tigers to win the 2012 BCS National Championship Game
- March 21 - former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning signs a 5-year, $96 million deal with the Denver Broncos, after considering signing with teams such as the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and Tennessee Titans. Manning spent his first 13 years with the Colts, leading them to their 2nd Super Bowl title in 2007 and after going 2-14 in 2011 and earning the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft, Manning was released by the Colts 13 days earlier, and sat out that whole season due to undergoing neck surgeries. In a move that shocked both the media and fans, sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow would be traded to the New York Jets the next day, and just 2 months after he led the 4th seeded Broncos to a playoff win and go 7-4 as a starter. This signing is tied with the New Orleans Saints' signing of Drew Brees in 2006 as the greatest free agency signing in NFL history.
- January 16âÂÂ29: 2012 Men's European Water Polo Championship in Eindhoven, Netherlands
- , , .
- January 18âÂÂ28: 2012 Women's European Water Polo Championship in Eindhoven, Netherlands
- , , .
- February 20âÂÂ26: 2012 FINA Diving World Cup in London, U.K.
- May 14âÂÂ27: 2012 European Aquatics Championships in Antwerp and Eindhoven
- Aquatics at the 2012 Olympics in London, United Kingdom:
- Swimming 28 July - 10 August. American swimmer Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, by surpassing soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. Phelps has won 22 Olympic medals (18 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze) . The Swimming Medal Table was won by with 16 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronze. was second with 5 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze. was third with 4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze.
- Diving 29 July - 11 August
- Water Polo
- Men: , ,
- Women: , ,
- Synchronized Swimming 5âÂÂ10 August
- 2012 FINA Swimming World Cup in eight different cities in October and November:
- October 2âÂÂ3 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- October 6âÂÂ7 Doha, Qatar
- October 13âÂÂ14 Stockholm, Sweden
- October 17âÂÂ18 Moscow, Russia
- October 20âÂÂ21 Berlin, Germany
- November 2âÂÂ3 Beijing, China
- November 6âÂÂ7 Tokyo, Japan
- November 10âÂÂ11 Singapore .
Kenneth To from won the men's race, while Katinka Hosszú from won the women's race
WNBA Finals
The Indiana Fever defeat the Minnesota Lynx 3âÂÂ1 in the best-of-5 series.
NBA Finals
- Miami Heat win four games to one over the Oklahoma City Thunder
- October 27 : The Oklahoma City Thunder trade James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, and Lazar Hayward to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first round picks (which became Steven Adams in 2013 and Mitch McGary in 2014), and a second round pick that became Alex Abrines in 2013, a trade that was heavily criticised by fans and the media as many believe the Thunder would've won a title or possibly become the NBA's next dynasty had they kept the trio of Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant. Having played there until 2021, Harden had his best years in Houston, leading them to 7 straight playoff appearances, the Western Conference Finals in 2015 and 2018, won the 2017âÂÂ18 MVP award, and in 2018-19, led the Rockets to 32 straight 30-plus point games.
Events
defeated in the final and clinched their third title.
defeated in the final and clinched their first title.
Steeplechases
Flat races
The following is a list of major noteworthy kickboxing events during 2012 in chronological order.
|- |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Event |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Alternate Name/s |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Attendance |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes |-align=center |January 28 |It's Showtime 2012 in Leeuwarden |It's Showtime 54 | Leeuwarden, Netherlands | | |-align=center |February 25 |SuperKombat World Grand Prix I 2012 |SuperKombat World Grand Prix I | Podgorica, Montenegro | | |-align=center |March 10 |Cro Cop Final Fight |K-1 Final Fight | Zagreb, Croatia | | |-align=center |March 23 |United Glory 15 | | Moscow, Russia | | |-align=center | May 27 | |SLAMM: Nederland vs. Thailand 7 | Almere, Netherlands | | |-align=center |June 30 | |It's Showtime 57 & 58 | Brussels, Belgium | | |-align=center
The following is a list of major noteworthy MMA events by month.
January
1/7 âÂÂ
1/14 â UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes
1/20 âÂÂ
1/27 â MFC 32 - Bitter Rivals
1/28 âÂÂ
February
2/4 â UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit
2/11 âÂÂ
2/15 â UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger
2/25 â UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson
2/25 â KSW 18: Unfinished Sympathy
March
3/2 âÂÂ
3/3 âÂÂ
3/16 â M-1 Challenge 31 - Monson vs. Oleinik
3/24 â M-1 Belarus 16 - Belarus Fighting Championship
3/31 âÂÂ
April
4/14 âÂÂ
4/21 â UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans
May
5/4 â MFC 33 - Collision Course
5/5 âÂÂ
5/12 â KSW 19: Pudzianowski vs. Sapp
5/15 â UFC on Fuel TV: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier
5/19 âÂÂ
5/26 â UFC 146: dos Santos vs. Mir
June
6/1 âÂÂ
6/8 â UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall 2
6/21 â M-1 Global - Fedor vs. Rizzo
6/22 âÂÂ
6/23 â UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II
6/23 âÂÂ
July
7/7 â UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II
7/11 âÂÂ
7/14 âÂÂ
7/21 â UFC 149: Faber vs. Barão
August
8/4 âÂÂ
8/10 â MFC 34 - Total Recall
8/11 â UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II
8/18 âÂÂ
8/31 âÂÂ
September
9/1 â UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson
9/15 â KSW 20: Fighting Symphonies
9/22 â UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort
9/29 âÂÂ
9/29 âÂÂ
9/30 â M-1 Challenge 34 - Emelianenko vs. Gluhov
October
10/5 âÂÂ
10/6 âÂÂ
10/13 â UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar
10/26 â MFC 35 - Explosive Encounter
November
11/3 âÂÂ
11/10 âÂÂ
11/17 â UFC 154: St-Pierre vs. Condit
December
12/1 â KSW 21: Ultimate Explanation
12/8 âÂÂ
12/14 âÂÂ
12/15 âÂÂ
12/29 â UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2
International tournaments
Major leagues
:Ryder Hesjedal won the Giro, becoming the first Canadian to win a Grand Tour.
:Bradley Wiggins won the Tour, becoming the first British to win a Grand Tour.
:Alberto Contador won the title for the second time after his first success in 2008.
- February 4 â 17 March: Six Nations Championship
- win the championship for the 25th time, also claiming their 11th Grand Slam and 20th Triple Crown.
- May 18: Amlin Challenge Cup Final at The Stoop, London:
- Biarritz defeat Toulon 21âÂÂ18 to claim their first Challenge Cup title and first European trophy.
- May 19: Heineken Cup Final at Twickenham, London
- Leinster crush Ulster 42âÂÂ14 for their third Heineken Cup, becoming only the second club to successfully defend a Heineken Cup title and the first ever to win the Cup three times in four years.
- IRB Sevens World Series:
- , and . New Zealand claim their second consecutive series crown and tenth overall.
- June 4âÂÂ22: 2012 IRB Junior World Championship in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, South Africa
- , and . This was the first title for South Africa. It was also the first time in the competition's five-year history in which New Zealand did not claim the title.
- June 16âÂÂ30: 2012 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Salt Lake City, United States
- , and . This was the first title for the USA, which will be promoted to the 2013 Junior World Championship at the expense of .
- August 4: Super Rugby Final at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton:
- The Chiefs crush the Sharks 37âÂÂ6 to claim their first-ever title.
- August 18 â October 6: The Rugby Championship
- win the title with a clean sweep in the first season of the newly renamed competition, now including Argentina. Including the competition's previous history as the Tri Nations, this is the All Blacks' 11th series win.
Domestic competitions
- English Premiership Final, May 26 at Twickenham:
- Harlequins defeat Leicester Tigers 30âÂÂ23 to claim their first Premiership title. Quins had also finished atop the league table.
- RFU Championship Final, May 23 and May 30:
- London Welsh defeat Cornish Pirates 66âÂÂ41 on aggregate to claim the title. London Welsh were initially denied a place in the Premiership due largely to stadium issues, but successfully appealed the denial, placing them in the Premiership for 2012âÂÂ13 at the expense of bottom finisher Newcastle Falcons.
- Top 14 Final, June 9 at Stade de France, Saint-Denis:
- Toulouse defeat Toulon 18âÂÂ12 and lift the Bouclier de Brennus for the 19th time.
- Rugby Pro D2 â Grenoble automatically promoted to Top 14 as champion. Mont-de-Marsan defeat Pau 29âÂÂ20 in the playoff final to claim the second promotion place. These teams replace Brive and Lyon, which finished on the bottom of the Top 14 table.
- Pro12 Final, May 27 at RDS Arena, Dublin:
- Ospreys defeat Leinster 31âÂÂ30 to claim their fourth Celtic League/Pro12 title.
- LV Cup (Anglo-Welsh Cup) â Leicester Tigers
- ITM Cup
- Premiership Final, October 27 at Rugby League Park, Christchurch: Canterbury defeat Auckland 31âÂÂ18 for their fifth consecutive provincial title.
- Championship Final, October 26 at ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe: Counties Manukau defeat Otago 41âÂÂ16 to claim their first title at any level of provincial rugby in 32 years. The Steelers are promoted to the 2013 ITM Premiership, replacing bottom-placed Hawke's Bay.
- Currie Cup Final, October 27 at Mr Price Kings Park, Durban:
- Western Province defeat 25âÂÂ18 to claim their first Currie Cup title since 2001.
- Australian Open (January 16âÂÂ29)
- Women's Singles: Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova 6âÂÂ3, 6âÂÂ0.
- Men's Singles: Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 5âÂÂ7, 6âÂÂ4, 6âÂÂ2, 6âÂÂ7<sup>(5âÂÂ7)</sup>, 7âÂÂ5.
- French Open (May 27 â June 11)
- Women's Singles: Maria Sharapova defeated Sara Errani 6âÂÂ3, 6âÂÂ2.
- Men's Singles: Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6âÂÂ4, 6âÂÂ3, 2âÂÂ6, 7âÂÂ5.
- Wimbledon (June 25 â July 8)
- Women's Singles: Serena Williams defeated Agnieszka RadwaÃ
Âska 6âÂÂ1, 5âÂÂ7, 6âÂÂ2.
- Men's Singles: Roger Federer defeated Andy Murray 4âÂÂ6, 7âÂÂ5, 6âÂÂ3, 6âÂÂ4.
- Us Open (August 27 â September 9)
- Women's Singles: Serena Williams defeated Victoria Azarenka 6âÂÂ2, 2âÂÂ6, 7âÂÂ5.
- Men's Singles: Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic 7âÂÂ6 (10), 7âÂÂ5, 2âÂÂ6, 3âÂÂ6, 6âÂÂ2.
- WTA Tour Championships at Istanbul, Turkey. October 23 - October 28
- Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3.
- ATP World Tour Finals at London, United Kingdom. November 5 - November 11
- Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer 7âÂÂ6 (6), 7âÂÂ5.
- Davis Cup - the Czech Republic wins, defeating Spain in the final.
- Fed Cup World Group - the Czech Republic wins, defeating Serbia in the final.
See also
References