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7 Wonders of the Sporting World (Marca)

Readers of the Spanish sports newspaper Marca were asked to vote on the Seven Wonders of the Sporting World. After 86,969 votes with 20 choices, the following were the top seven events selected, listed in order of popularity (percent of votes in brackets). See how they compare to our list of the 7 Wonders of the Sporting World (Events) — hint, there are only three the same.

Top 7 Wonders

1. FIFA World Cup (13.75%) — The football World Cup is the most important international tournament in the world at the national team level for this sport. It has been held every four years since 1930. Soccer is the sport that raises the most passions, in the case of a World Cup final millions of people get excited and enjoy watching the players of their country take part in one of the greatest sports shows of all time.
2. Tour de France (9.62%) — The Tour de France is the most demanding and prestigious cycling event in the world. It lasts for three weeks in July, held in stages throughout the French countryside. It was first held in 1903, and since then it has only been interrupted due to the two World Wars.
3. NBA Finals (9.14%) — The ultimate dream of any basketball player is to wear the legendary NBA champion ring on one of their fingers. Each June, the Eastern and Western Conference champions face off in the best of seven games in the NBA Grand Final.
4. Monaco Grand Prix (7.97%) — Of all the Formula 1 events on the calendar, the Monaco Grand Prix is the most spectacular. As it does not run on a conventional circuit, the large number of ups and downs, tight corners and narrow lanes add an element of danger and excitement for both the drivers and the spectators.
5. Dakar Rally (7.43%) — The Dakar Rally is considered to be the toughest rally in the world. It takes place in the first weeks of January and takes riders from a European city (Paris, Lisbon ...) to the city of Dakar, in Senegal. Once there, the participating vehicles face all that the desert entails, crossing dunes, rocks, mud or vegetation. Basically it's more of an endurance race than a conventional rally. 
6. Davis Cup (6.67%) — The Davis Cup is the most important international men's tennis competition that is played between national teams (the women's equivalent is the Federation Cup). The tournament is held annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organizers as the "World Cup of Tennis", and the winners are referred to as the World Champion team.
7. Men's 100-meter final at the Olympic Games (6.65%) — The final of the men's 100-meter dash is the king of the Summer Olympics. Although it is over in an instant, all sports fans around the world stop and watch. This event has brought us names such as Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, Linford Christie, and Usain Bolt.

See the likes of Usain Bolt

The Rest ...

• MotoGP World Championship (6.50%) — The Moto GP World Championship is the premier class of the Motorcycle World Championship. The road racing events are held on road circuits on purpose-built racing machines.
• Super Bowl (5.49%) — The Super Bowl is the highest-rated sports show in the United States. The final of the American Football League, which takes place on a Sunday in February, is the largest sporting event of the world's leading power and with huge worldwide TV audiences.
• Everest Ascent (4.49%) — We could not speak of spectacular sports without including mountaineering and more specifically the climb to Everest, one of the greatest human endeavors of all time. On May 29, 1953 Tensing and Hillary reached the summit of the highest mountain on Earth, at 8,848 meters above sea level. Everest has two main climbing routes, the south-east through Nepal and the north-east through Tibet, in addition to 13 other less used routes. It requires a human effort and, as they say, many have been called but few have been chosen.
• Six Nations Rugby Championship (4.17%) — The VI Nations Rugby Tournament is one of the most prestigious events in international sport in which France, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and Italy participate. Its origins go back to 1871, when England and Scotland met for the first time and gave way to what later became a home run tournament between the four British teams. 
• New York Marathon (3.43%) — The New York Marathon is one of the most popular athletics events in the world. It takes place on the first Sunday in November and was run for the first time in 1970. Although the event attracts some of the world's greatest distance runners competing for a large cash prize, most of those who compete do not do it for money, but for the unique experience of being able to run through the streets of the 'capital of the world' enjoying an incomparable setting and before two million spectators cheering. The race begins on Staten Island, continues through Brooklyn and Queens, crosses Manhattan, climbs the Bronx, and has the finish line in Central Park.
• America's Cup (3.01%) — The America's Cup is the most prestigious sailing competition in the world. It began in 1851, when a ship named America won the 100 Guineas Cup in a regatta against the British fleet around the Isle of Wight. The winners donated the trophy to the New York Yacht Yacht Club, to which they belonged, on the condition that it remained a challenge and has continued to this day.
• 24 hours of Le Mans (2.54%) — The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's most famous motor endurance race. The first event was held on May 26 and 27, 1923 and since then, with few exceptions, it has been held every year. It takes place in June on the Sarthe circuit, near Le Mans (France), and is characterized by using local roads that remain open to traffic the rest of the year.  The winner is the one who covers the longest distance in 24 hours of continuous running.
• Ryder Cup (2.44%) — The Ryder Cup is the most important golf tournament in the world that pits the best players in the United States and Europe, who for three days put aside prizes and money to put their prestige at stake. It was born in 1927 and its creator was Scottish Samuel Ryder, hence the name of the competition. In total 28 matches are played in the 'match play' mode, that is, the holes won are counted and not the strokes.
• World Heavyweight Championship (2.35%) — The World Boxing Heavyweight Championship is one of the sporting events that has generated more stars and more myths of this sport, though in recent years has lost its importance. The first fight for the title of World Heavyweight Champion, with gloves and three-minute rounds, took place between John Lawrence and James J. Corbett, in New Orleans (United States), on September 7, 1892. Living legends such as Muhammad Ali, considered the greatest in history in the heavyweight category and famous for having proclaimed world champion for three consecutive years, were forged under this championship.
• Oxford-Cambridge Regatta (1.38%) — The legendary regatta between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the waters of the Thames dates back to 1829 making it the oldest competition in history, only interrupted during the two World Wars. What was born as a challenge from a Cambridge student to a friend from Oxford has become an international caliber regatta. In the ranks of both teams there are no longer only students, but also Olympic and world rowing champions.
• Four Hills Ski Jump Tournament (1.25%) — The event that marks the beginning of the sporting calendar is the Four Hills Tournament. It's a January 1 classic, one of the most iconic and spectacular events in the snow world. The first edition was contested in 1953.
• Baseball World Series (1.02%) — The World Series of baseball is a unique event in the United States.  Its importance is comparable to the American Football Super Bowl and the NBA Basketball Finals.
• Grand National (0.80%) — The Grand National is considered the most important equestrian steeplechase course in the world. In 1839 the first official steeple course was held in Aintree, near Liverpool. Currently, the riders have to overcome 30 obstacles, among them the famous ones are Becher's Brook, with a treacherous drop of 2.44 meters, and La Silla, the highest, with 1.83, in addition to galloping along a hard 7 km course.  It has a worldwide following and is the largest horse racing event on the UK calendar.

source: http://www.marca.com/reportajes/07/04/11/sieteMaravillas, 2007

Do you agree with this list? The Davis Cup is a surprising addition, I would think that any one of the Grand Slam tournaments would be a better choice. Remember that this list was voted on in 2007, and by mostly people from Spain. Also, the participants were only given a list of 20 events to vote on.

We have created our own list of the Top-7 Wonders of the Sporting Events World (which is different from the 7 Wonders of the World - VENUES list). There were three from this list that also made it onto ours.

Related Pages

• The final list of 7 Wonders of the Sporting World (Events)
• A discussion about the top must-see sporting events
• Full list of Robert Tuchman's must-see live sporting events
• More 7 Wonders Lists
• Current World Events Calendar
• Multi-Sport Events (Games) Calendar
• More about sporting wonders of the world (stadiums)
• Book: The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live
• More world sports lists

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