Five Events to Watch in 2014

5. Summer Youth Olympic Games

August 16-28 in Nanjing, China

The second summer edition of the YOG will also be Asia’s second as the event shifts from Singapore to Nanjing.

The event hopes to foster the drive of future Olympians as well as showcasing new sports. In this case, skateboarding, sport climbing, roller sport, and wushu will be staged as demonstrations, a move that could pave the way for their inclusion in a future Olympics.

Likewise, look for Nanjing to use the YOG as a barometer of its suitability as a large-scale event host.

4. Extraordinary IOC Session

December 6-7 in Monaco

The only event on the list that does not involve competition could be the one where the tenor of IOC president Thomas Bach’s administration becomes clear.

In Monaco, Bach will present the Olympic Agenda 2020 for approval. The German has made it clear that he is open to a variety of suggestions and ideas, including the possibility of making the Games more flexible in their ability to add new sports.

Bach called the agenda "a road map for the Olympic Movement under the leadership of the IOC" in a new year’s message to Olympic stakeholders.

3. Commonwealth Games

July 23 - August 3 in Glasgow, Scotland

Like the YOG, this is an event some see as a stepping stone for cities hoping to bid for bigger events down the road. For Scotland, however, the Commonwealth Games will represent the largest multi-sport event ever held in the country.

The Commonwealth Games has grown considerably since Edinburgh hosted the 1970 and 1986 editions. That said, none of the sports will catch Scotland flat-footed; the country has hosted some kind of national or international championship in each of the Commonwealth Games’ 17 sports over the last 15 years.

2. Olympic Winter Games

February 7-23 in Sochi, Russia

A reputation for grandeur precedes the Sochi Games. Russian President Vladimir Putin's vanity project will be the most expensive Games ever staged at $50 billion, surpassing the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, which welcomed nearly four times the number of athletes.

For all of the gleaming venues and sparkling train stations, though, money can’t buy answers to troubling questions still surrounding Sochi.

Some wonder whether the recent spate of domestic terrorism means the Games will be in the crosshairs. Others are curious what Russia’s reaction will be to athletes and fans who demonstrate their displeasure with the legislated attacks on the country's gay community.

Throw in reported police harassment of migrant workers, activists, and journalists, and it is clear that Russia has more to prove than whether it can stage a pretty Opening Ceremony.

1. FIFA World Cup

June 12 - July 13 in Brazil

Two countries - Brazil and Russia - will host an Olympics and a World Cup over the next five years, and both are getting a master class in dealing with the scrutiny that comes with hosting two of the world’s biggest sporting events.

For Brazil, this is especially true. While Russia has a four-and-a-half-year lull after Sochi to prepare for the World Cup, Brazil will have just over two years to complete preparations for the Rio Summer Games in 2016.

The demands of preparing for both events simultaneously have put a strain on the South American country’s infrastructure, leading to protests from millions of Brazilians who would rather see the millions go toward health, education, or transportation.

Through crane collapses and leaky roofs, however, Brazil’s passion for football is unsurpassed, and there’s little reason to believe the venues will not be ready when the ball drops in June. The sacrifices needed to get there may tell a darker story.

Written by Nick Devlin

Homepage photo courtesy of Getty Images

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