On the other hand, not everywhere do summer sports have the opportunity to regain their primacy. However, it is not far off. In March, the football fever that resumed in February will continue (referring to qualifying matches for the 2006 World Cup, Champions League matches, and the UEFA Cup). Formula 1 will start in March (though the first stages will take place in the Southern Hemisphere, where autumn is now beginning).
AUSTRALIA
In Melbourne, the next Formula 1 World Championship will begin on March 6. The start of the new season is an exciting event. In this case, doubly exciting: the whole world is trying to guess whether anyone will give Michael Schumacher real competition this year. Because lately there is no point in competing with the German. So, March 6, Melbourne, the «Albert Park» circuit.
AUSTRIA
On the second day of March, the World Biathlon Championship will begin in the Austrian town of Hochfilzen. The shooting skiers will not finish their competition until the 12th.
And from March 5 to 12, the Winter International Sports Business Olympiad will take place in Austria. Companies from Austria, England, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Finland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and other countries will participate. The Olympiad program includes such sports as hockey, mini-football, alpine skiing, ski relay, bowling, VIP tennis and billiards tournaments. This is already the third business Olympiad.
The World Fencing Championship will be held in Linz from March 23 to 31. Men and women will take part in it. In addition, athletes in the youth and junior categories will compete.
ENGLAND
The English football championship in March will not please spectators with bright duels between the strongest clubs. Still, on March 5 you should pay attention to the meeting «Newcastle» – «Liverpool», on the 19th – visit Liverpool for the local derby «Liverpool» – «Everton», and on the 20th – in Birmingham for the meeting of the local «Birmingham» and «Aston Villa».
The World Men's Sabre Fencing Championship will take place in London on March 5-6. The English Open Badminton Championship will be held in Birmingham from March 8 to 13.
GERMANY
The German town of Inzell will host the World Single Distances Speed Skating Championship starting March 3. The competition will end on March 6.
Matches in the national football championship (three rounds are expected in March) will resume on March 5. In round 24, the central games will be in Hamburg («Hamburg» – «Bayer») and Munich («Bayern» – «Werder»). In round 25 (March 12), a meeting of the main contenders for the championship title this season will take place: «Schalke» and «Bayern» will play in Gelsenkirchen. Our Andrei Voronin's Bayer will host Hertha. And a week later (round 26), there will essentially be no central match. «Bayer» will host «Kaiserslautern» in Leverkusen.
DENMARK
The city of Aalborg will for a time become the world center of archery. It is here that the world championship in this sport will take place on March 23-27.
SPAIN
Since the end of February, in the city of Linares, famous for its annual international chess tournament of a very high level, the world's leading chess players have again begun their fight for first place. The tournament will end on March 13.
In the national football championship, four rounds will take place in March and, what is most interesting, this month Barcelona will be at the center of attention. March 2 – round 26. In Barcelona – the Catalan derby: «Barcelona» meets «Espanyol». A good match is expected in Seville, where the team of the same name will play «Valencia». In round 27 (March 6), «Valencia» will host «Real», which automatically gives the match central status. A week later (round 28), the most attractive are the matches in Madrid («Atletico» – «Valencia») and Barcelona («Barcelona» – «Athletic»). And another week later (March 20, round 29), the most interesting should be the meeting in La Coruña between «Deportivo» and «Barcelona».
ITALY
The World Alpine Ski Championship will begin in Bormio on March 1 and will last until the 13th.
There will be no pronounced central matches in the March rounds of the national football championship. But fans are guaranteed very interesting matches on every match day, and mainly involving the Roman teams. So, on March 6 (round 27), «Roma» and «Juventus» will play in Rome («Milan» of our Andrei Shevchenko will visit «Atalanta» in Bergamo). A week later (round 28), the former and current teams of coach Roberto Mancini – «Lazio» and «Inter» – will play in Rome («Milan» at home will test «Sampdoria»). The match between «Chievo» and «Juventus» in Verona may also be of interest. And yet seven days later (round 29), «Inter» will host «Roma» in Milan. Also worth noting is the meeting of «Juventus» and «Udinese» in Turin, as well as «Milan»'s trip to Reggina.
CHINA
Beijing will host the World Short Track Speed Skating Championship – speed skating on a small oval. The championship starts on March 11 and ends on the 13th.
MALAYSIA
The second stage of the Formula 1 World Championship is planned for Kuala Lumpur at the Sepang circuit. The main fight for victory will unfold on March 20.
NEW ZEALAND
The 15th World Sailing Championship will take place in Auckland, starting on March 12 and ending on the 19th.
NORWAY
Two stages of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup will be held in Drammen in March. Both will start and end on the same day. The first will take place on March 9, the second – on the 20th. In addition, another Norwegian city, Holmenkollen, will host one of the stages of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup, where skiers will compete on March 12.
UAE
In the famous resort center of Dubai, a women's tennis tournament of the second category with a prize fund of $585,000, which started on February 28, will end on March 5. It will be the last opportunity to test one's strength before two March super tournaments, which are usually held in the United States at this time – each lasting two weeks.
RUSSIA
Before the start of the football championship, our eastern neighbors usually host the Russian Super Cup match, in which the champion and the country's Cup winner meet. On March 6, Moscow's Lokomotiv and Grozny's Terek will play in Moscow. And the championship itself, already in the first round (March 12-13), will present an interesting meeting: Zenit in St. Petersburg will play against Moscow's Dynamo. Czech coach Petrzela against his titled Russian colleague Romantsev. In the same round, four matches will take place in Moscow: Spartak – Moscow, CSKA – Terek, Lokomotiv – Tom, and Torpedo – Rostov. There, in Moscow, the most interesting matches of the second round (March 19) will also take place: Lokomotiv – Moscow and Dynamo – Torpedo.
Russia, the recognized world leader in figure skating, will host the World Championships in this sport this year. The competition will take place in Moscow from March 14 to 20.
During the same period, the final stage of the Biathlon World Cup will be held in Khanty-Mansiysk, which will also last a week, from March 14 to 20.
USA
In the tennis calendar, March is the month of two super tournaments, each lasting two weeks. The first, in Indian Wells, will begin on March 9 and end on March 20. The second, in Miami, will start on March 23 and finish only on April 3. Both tournaments are held for both women and men. Interestingly, the prize fund for each is almost equal for both sexes, which is extremely rare. In Indian Wells, men will compete for $2,724,600 (the winner will receive $421,000, the loser in the first match $4,130), and women for $2,100,000. In Miami, the men's tour prize fund will be $3,200,000 (winner – $533,350, eliminated after the first match – $5,560), and the women's – $3,115,000.
FINLAND
In the city of Lahti, on March 5, the next stage of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup will start, which will last two days.
In the city with the sonorous name Ruka, on March 17, the Freestyle World Championships will start – a kind of figure skating and acrobatics on skis in one. The review of the planet's best forces will end on March 20.
FRANCE
In the French football championship, only three rounds will take place in March. On March 5 (round 28), the most promising match is the one in Paris between PSG and Nantes. In round 29 (March 12), the following pairs look promising: Auxerre – Monaco and Marseille – Lens. And in round 30 (March 19), of course, the central game will take place in Monaco: the local team will play against Marseille. In Paris, PSG will host Auxerre.
SWEDEN
One of the largest Swedish cities, Gothenburg, will become the center for the next stage of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup. This stage will take place on March 16. On March 19, in another Swedish city, Falun, another such stage of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup will be held.
SCOTLAND
In the city of Paisley, starting on March 19, the Women's World Curling Championship will take place – a somewhat unusual discipline for us, although included in the Winter Olympic Games program. The championship will end on March 27. The Men's World Curling Championship is scheduled for March 19-25 in Greenacres.
SRI LANKA
In Negombo, from February 25 to March 7, the World Sailing Championship will be held.
JAPAN
In the capital of the country, Tokyo, the World Men's Foil Fencing Championship will take place. It will begin on March 12 and end on March 13.