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The following events happened in world sport in the year1998.

• Alpine Skiing World Cup
  • Men's overall season champion:Hermann Maier,Austria
  • Women's overall season champion:Katja Seizinger,Germany

• Super Bowl XXXII – theDenver Broncos (AFC) won 31–24 over theGreen Bay Packers (NFC)
  • Location:San Diego Stadium
  • Attendance: 68,912
  • MVP:Terrell Davis, RB (Denver)
• Rose Bowl (1997 season):
  • TheMichigan Wolverines won 21–16 over theWashington State Cougars to win theAP Pollnational championship
  • TheOrange Bowl was the original venue for the championship game, but the Big Ten Conference was not a part of the Bowl Alliance, so the game instead featured the #2Nebraska Cornhuskers and the #3Tennessee Volunteers
• January 13 –ABC andESPN negotiate a $1.15 billion per season contract to keepMonday Night Football.
• December 13 – The Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings return an NFL record 3 kickoff returns for touchdowns.

• 1998 Summer Goodwill Games - held inNew York City,United States
  • Mixed pairs champions:China (Ling Jie,Huang Xu)
  • Women's all-around champion:Dominique Moceanu,United States
  • Women's vault champion:Vanessa Atler,United States
  • Women's uneven bars champion:Svetlana Khorkina,Russian Federation
  • Women's balance beam champion:Kristen Maloney,United States
  • Women's floor exercise champion:Vanessa Atler,United States
  • Men's all-around champion:Ivan Ivankov,Belarus
  • Men's vault champion:Sergei Fedorchenko,Kazakhstan
  • Men's floor exercise champion:Alexei Nemov,Russian Federation
  • Men's parallel bars champion:Huang Xu,China
  • Men's pommel horse champion:Nikolai Kryukov,Russian Federation
  • Men's still rings champion: Chris Lamorte,United States
  • Men's horizontal bar champion:Ivan Ivankov,Belarus
• 1998European Gymnastics Championships - held inSaint Petersburg,Russia
  • Women's team champions:Romania
  • Women's all-around champion:Svetlana Khorkina,Russian Federation
  • Women's vault champion:Adrienn Varga,Hungary
  • Women's uneven bars champion:Svetlana Khorkina,Russian Federation
  • Women's balance beam champion:Evgenia Kuznetsova,Russian Federation
  • Women's floor exercise champion: (tied)Corina Ungureanu,Romania /Svetlana Khorkina,Russian Federation
  • Men's team champions:France
  • Men's all-around champion:Alexei Bondarenko,Russian Federation
  • Men's vault champion:Ioannis Melissanidis,Greece
  • Men's floor exercise champion:Alexei Nemov,Russian Federation
  • Men's still rings champion:Szilveszter Csollány,Hungary
  • Men's parallel bars champion:Alexei Bondarenko,Russian Federation
  • Men's horizontal bar champion:Jesús Carballo,Spain
  • Men's pommel horse champion:Éric Poujade,France

• FIFA World Cup -France beatBrazil 3–0
• Champions League –Real Madrid C.F. beatJuventus FC 1–0
• UEFA Cup –F.C. Internazionale Milano beatS.S. Lazio 3–0
• Copa Libertadores –CR Vasco da Gama beatBarcelona Sporting Club 4–1 (Agg.)
• Ecuador -Ecuadorian Serie A Champions:Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito

• August –1998 European Championships in Athletics held at Budapest
• September –1998 Commonwealth Games held at Kuala Lumpur
• December –1998 Asian Games held at Bangkok

• Australian Football League
  • TheAdelaide Crows win the 102ndAFL premiership and second premiership in a row by 35 points (Adelaide Crows 15.15 (105) dNorth Melbourne 8.22 (70))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded toRobert Harvey (St Kilda)

• TheNational League expands adding theArizona Diamondbacks, and theAmerican League expands adding theTampa Bay Devil Rays.
• TheMilwaukee Brewers move from the American League to the National League.
• Mark McGwire andSammy Sosa eachchase the home run record set previously byRoger Maris in 1961. Both men end up breaking the record; McGwire with 70 and Sosa with 66.
• Rookie 20-year-oldKerry Wood strikes out 20Houston Astros to tie the major league single game strikeout record
• Cal Ripken Jr. ends his consecutive game streak at 2,632 in Baltimore against the New York Yankees. It was the first time he wasn't in the lineup since 1982.
• World Series –New York Yankees win 4 games to 0 over theSan Diego Padres. The Series MVP isScott Brosius, New York

• July 1 – TheNBA locked out its players and the season was put on hold for the next 6½ months and the season began under a 50–game schedule.
• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
  • Kentucky wins 78–69 overUtah
• NBA Finals –
  • Chicago Bulls win 4 games to 2 over theUtah Jazz, to complete their second three–peat of the decade.
• WNBA Finals –
  • Houston Comets win two games to one over thePhoenix Mercury to repeat as champions.
• FIBA World Championship
  • Yugoslavia World Champion
• National Basketball League (Australia)Finals:
  • Adelaide 36ers defeated theSouth East Melbourne Magic 2–0 in the best–of–three final series.

• May 17 to May 24 –32nd European Amateur Boxing Championships held atMinsk, Belarus
• June 27 –Shane Mosley stopped Wilfrido Ruiz in the 5th round to retain the IBF Lightweight Championship

• Grey Cup –Calgary Stampeders win 26–24 over theHamilton Tiger-Cats
• Vanier Cup –Saskatchewan Huskies win 24–17 over theConcordia Stingers

• Curling makes its Winter Olympics debut:
  • Men's Gold: Switzerland wins 9–3 over Canada
  • Women's Gold: Canada wins 7–5 over Denmark

• Giro d'Italia won byMarco Pantani ofItaly
• Tour de France –Marco Pantani ofItaly
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race –Oskar Camenzind ofSwitzerland

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion
  • Jeff King wins with lead dogs:Red &Rocket

• Men's World Cup: Netherlands
• Men's Commonwealth Games: Australia
• Men's Champions Trophy: Netherlands
• Women's World Cup: Australia
• Women's Commonwealth Games: Australia

• World Figure Skating Championships –
  • Men's champion:Alexei Yagudin,Russia
  • Ladies' champion:Michelle Kwan,United States
  • Pairs' champions:Elena Berezhnaya /Anton Sikharulidze,Russia
  • Ice dancing champions:Anjelika Krylova /Oleg Ovsyannikov,Russia

• Men's World Floorball Championships
  • Champion:Sweden
• European Cup
  • Men's champion:Warberg IC
  • Women's champion:Högdalens AIS

• Camogie
  • All–Ireland Camogie Champion:Cork
  • National Camogie League:Cork
• Gaelic football
  • All-Ireland Senior Football Championship –Galway 1–14 diedKiladre 1–10
  • National Football League –Offaly 0–9 diedDerry 0–7
• Ladies' Gaelic football
  • All–Ireland Senior Football Champion:Waterford
  • National Football League:Waterford
• Hurling
  • All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship –Offaly 2–16 diedKilkenny 1–13
  • National Hurling League –Cork 2–14 beatWaterford 0–13

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament –Mark O'Meara
• U.S. Open –Lee Janzen
• British Open –Mark O'Meara
• PGA Championship –Vijay Singh
• PGA Tour money leader –David Duval – $2,591,031
• PGA Tour Player of the Year –Mark O'Meara
• PGA Tour Rookie of the Year –Steve Flesch
• Senior PGA Tour money leader –Hale Irwin – $2,861,945

Men's amateur

• British Amateur –Sergio García
• U.S. Amateur –Hank Kuehne
• European Amateur – Paddy Gribben

Women's professional

• Nabisco Dinah Shore –Pat Hurst
• LPGA Championship –Se Ri Pak
• U.S. Women's Open –Se Ri Pak
• Classique du Maurier –Brandie Burton
• LPGA Tour money leader –Annika Sörenstam – $1,092,748
• TheSolheim Cup is retained by theUnited States team who beat theEuropean team 16 to 12.

• Men's European Championship:Sweden
• Women's European Championship:Norway

• North America Cup – Straight Path
• United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
  1. Cane Pace – Shady Character
  2. Little Brown Jug – Shady Character
  3. Messenger Stakes –Fit For Life
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
  1. Hambletonian – Muscles Yankee
  2. Yonkers Trot – Muscles Yankee
  3. Kentucky Futurity – Trade Balance
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
  • Pacers:Our Sir Vancelot
  • Trotters: Buster Hanover

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup –Cool Dawn
• Grand National –Earth Summit

Flat races

• Australia –Melbourne Cup –Jezabeel
• Canada –Queen's Plate –Archers Bay
• Dubai –Dubai World Cup won bySilver Charm
• France –Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe –Sagamix
• Ireland –Irish Derby Stakes –Dream Well
• Japan –Japan Cup won byEl Condor Pasa
• English Triple Crown races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes –King of Kings
  2. The Derby –High-Rise^[1]
  3. St. Leger Stakes –Nedawi
• United States Triple Crown races:
  1. Kentucky Derby –Real Quiet
  2. Preakness Stakes –Real Quiet
  3. Belmont Stakes –Victory Gallop
• Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
  1. Breeders' Cup Classic –Awesome Again
  2. Breeders' Cup Distaff –Escena
  3. Breeders' Cup Juvenile –Answer Lively
  4. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies –Silverbulletday
  5. Breeders' Cup Mile –Da Hoss
  6. Breeders' Cup Sprint – Reraise
  7. Breeders' Cup Turf –Buck's Boy

• For the first time, professional players from the National Hockey League participate in theWinter Olympics. And also for the first time in Olympic history, women took part in ice hockey.
• Women's Gold –United States won 3–1 overCanada
• Men's Gold –Czech Republic won 1–0 overRussia
• Art Ross Trophy as theNHL's leading scorer during the regular season:Jaromír Jágr,Pittsburgh Penguins
• Hart Memorial Trophy – for theNHL's Most Valuable Player:Dominik Hašek –Buffalo Sabres
• Stanley Cup –Detroit Red Wings defeated theWashington Capitals 4 games to 0.
• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion:Sweden defeatedFinland
  • Junior Men's champion:Russia defeatedCanada

• The 8thWorld Lacrosse Championship is held inBaltimore, Maryland. TheUnited States win, andCanada is the runner–up.
• ThePhiladelphia Wings sweep theBaltimore Thunder in the best of three series held to determine the winner of theChampion's Cup.
• The Brampton Excelsiors win theMann Cup.
• The Clarington Green Gaels win theFounders Cup.
• The Burnaby Lakers win theMinto Cup.

The following is a list of major noteworthy MMA events during 1998 in chronological order.

Date	Event	Alternate Name/s	Location	Attendance	PPV Buyrate	Notes
March 13	UFC 16: Battle in the Bayou	—	New Orleans,Louisiana,US	4,600	—	This event featured the first ever UFC lightweight tournament. As well as a middleweight championship bout. And a heavyweight and middleweight superfights.
March 15	Pride 2	—	Yokohama,Japan	—	—	Event featured six MMA bouts and twokickboxing bouts.
May 15	UFC 17: Redemption	—	Mobile,Alabama,US	—	—	This event was the last UFC event aside fromUFC 23, to feature the "tournament" style format. This event featured a four-man middleweight tournament. As well as three heavyweight superfights.
June 24	Pride 3	—	Tokyo,Japan	—	—	—
October 11	Pride 4	—	Tokyo,Japan	—	—	—
October 16	UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil	UFC 17.5	São Paulo,Brazil	—	—	This event caused controversy due to the fact that the Brazilian flag was wrongly represented on the promotional material.

• 1998 NRL season
  • 1998 NRL grand final
• Super League III
  • 1998 Super League Grand Final
• 1998 State of Origin series
• 1998 New Zealand season
  • 1998 New Zealand tour of Great Britain

• 104thFive Nations Championship series is won byFrance who complete theGrand Slam
• Tri Nations series is won bySouth Africa for the first time, with a clean sweep of victories. South Africa goes on to equalNew Zealand's all-time record of 17 consecutive test victories.

• World Snooker Championship –John Higgins beatsKen Doherty 18–12
• World rankings –John Higgins becomesworld number one for1998/99

• EighthFINA World Championships, held inPerth,Australia (January 8 – 17)
• SecondEuropean SC Championships, held inSheffield,United Kingdom (December 11 – December 13)
• December 1 – American swimmerJenny Thompson breaks her own world record in the women's 100m butterfly (short course): 56:90
• December 13 –Mark Foster twice breaks theworld record in the men's 50m freestyle (short course) during theEuropean SC Championships inSheffield, clocking 21.31 eventually.

Grand Slam in tennis men's results:

• Australian Open –Petr Korda
• French Open –Carlos Moyá
• Wimbledon championships –Pete Sampras
• U.S. Open –Patrick Rafter

Grand Slam in tennis women's results:

• Australian Open –Martina Hingis
• French Open –Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
• Wimbledon championships –Jana Novotná
• U.S. Open –Lindsay Davenport
• Davis Cup – Sweden wins 4–1 over Italy in world tennis.

• Men's World Championship: Italy
• Women's World Championship: Cuba

• Men's World Championship: Spain
• Women's World Championship: Italy

• The1998 World Weightlifting Championships were held inLahti, Finland from November 7 to November 15.

• 1998 Winter Olympics held inNagano,Japan
  • Germany wins the most medals (29), and the most gold medals (12)
• Asian Games held inBangkok, Thailand
• 1998 Commonwealth Games held inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia^[2]
• Central American and Caribbean Games held inMaracaibo,Venezuela
• Summer Goodwill Games held inNew York City,United States

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year –Mark McGwire,Major League Baseball
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year –Se Ri Pak,LPGA golf

• 1998 in sports
• Sports by year

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