After the gloom, let’s hope for a sporty new year

Though sport had its grand and cherishable moments in 2013, yet the controversies surrounding it were equally potent to affect — if not destroy — the image of teams clashing for the pure joy of winning. Lance Armstrong and Oscar Pistorius’s deeds, not to forget the match-fixing scandal in cricket, did damage sports’ image, but on the brighter side, there were grand achievements, like Bayern Munich lifting the Champions League and Tiger Woods regaining the top spot. Hopefully, 2014 will bring bring sports back in the news for only the right reasons. The year begins with the Caucasus mountains of Sochi hosting the world’s top athletes at the Winter Olympics. The greatest sporting spectacle on earth — the FIFA World Cup — will unfurl in all its glory in Brazil, while on the speed circuits around the globe, Sebastian Vettel will strive to beat the opposition one more time. And, who knows, Roger Federer might just turn back the clock to win another Grand Slam title.