Weekly sports agenda: international club soccer in the Club World Cup and more
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Your support makes all the difference.Upcoming sporting events: The IRB's rugby sevens World Series starts, there's an equestrian show and tournament in France, club football in both the Europa League and Club World Cup, Hawaiian surfing, powerboating in the Middle East, and the famous Dakar Rally to ring in the new year.
Figure Skating: ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final
December 3-6
Tokyo, Japan
The International Skating Union's 2009-10 Grand Prix tour started with the Trophée Eric Bompard in Paris, France on October 15 and will have taken in competitive events in Russia, China, Japan, the USA and Canada before returning to Japan for the finals.
http://www.icenetwork.com
Tennis: Davis Cup Finals
December 4-6
Barcelona, Spain
Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer and Feliciano Lopez of Spain face off against Radek Štepánek, Tomáš Berdych, Jan Hernych, and Lukáš Dlouhý of the Czech Republic during the 2009 Davis Cup finals.
http://www.daviscup.com
Rugby: IRB Sevens World Series
December 4-5; December 11-12
Dubai, UAE; George, South Africa
The first two tournaments in the International Rugby Board's 2009/10 series take place in Dubai and South Africa, with representation from 16 countries in a seven-a-side version of Rugby Union rules, with shorter length games resulting in fast-paced play and teams playing several matches over the course of a matchday.
http://www.irb.com/irbsevens
Equestrian: Salon du Cheval
December 5-13
Paris, France
The internationally respected annual Salon du Cheval incorporates the International Vaulting Masters on December 4 and 5, horse and cart racing in The Paris'Cup Driving Competition on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6, the GUCCI Masters and the Rolex IJRC Top 10 showjumping championships December 10-13, and of course the multi-disciplinary Grand Prix Magazine Track throughout the duration of the Salon.
http://salon-cheval.com
Soccer: FIFA Club World Cup
December 9-19
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Six continental champions join the UAE's league champion in competing for a chunk of the $16.5million (€11.1m) prize fund. European champions FC Barcelona benefit from a seeded place in one semi final, as do the Argentinian team Estudiantes: Al-Ahli of the UAE, New Zealand's Auckland City FC, Tout Puissant Mazembe of the DR Congo and the Pohang Steelers from South Korea are the tournament's aspiring giant killers.
http://www.fifa.com/clubworldcup
Surfing: Billabong Pipeline Masters
December 8-20
Banzai Beach, Hawaii
The last competitive event in the 2009 ASP World Tour is also the decider in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, three concurrent surfing Hawaiian tournaments. Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson battle for wave riding legend Kelly Slater's World Tour title, while 21-year old Australian Stephanie 'Happy' Gilmore is the current women's champ.
http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com/vtcs
Powerboating: Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, Dubai
December 10-12
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The sixth and final event in the Word Powerboat Championship series that started in April concludes by roaring across Dubai's tranquil coastline. Dubai will be of critical importance as the top two teams, Fazza and Victory 1, have pulled away from the pack but the championship itself is far from decided.
http://www.class-1.com
Soccer: UEFA Europa League Group Stage final round
December 16-17
European locations
Top teams from around Europe make a final throw of the dice in the last group stage games in a bid to qualify for the knockout stages that start on February 18. Group B is entirely undecided, with Valencia, Lille and Genoa all with a glimpse of glory, whilst the fate of other teams is still unsure - big names such as Fulham, FC Twente, Sparta Prague, Panathinaikos, Dinamo Zagreb and Valencia all require favourable results to escape unscathed.
http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup
Motor racing: 32nd Dakar Rally
January 1-16
Buenos Aires, Argentina
The 9,000km race for both cars and motorbikes starts in Buenos Aires on New Year's Day, winding its way around Argentina and into Chile, across the dry Atacama desert before finishing back in the capital over a fortnight later.
http://www.dakar.com
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