2024 sporting calendar: What Welsh sport is looking forward to most

Wales' sports stars have major events to look forward to in 2024.

The sporting calendar is set to be dominated by three huge events in Europe in the summer - Euro 2024, the Olympics and the Paralympics.

However with key dates in rugby, football, darts and cricket, and more of our boxers and mixed martial arts fighters aiming for world titles, it promises to be a bumper sporting year.

So what are we most looking forward to in 2024?

For the first time since 2006, Wales will head into a Six Nations without Alun Wyn Jones.

They are also without clear cut contenders for either the number 10 or 15 jerseys following retirements and unavailability.

The World Cup showed Warren Gatland can still turn regional also-rans into Test match winners... given time. Though that is a luxury he may not have, even with Rob Howley back on board in his coaching staff.

Wales kick-off against Scotland in Cardiff on 3 February and then travel to England and Ireland before back-to-back home games against France and Italy.

Gatland will then take his side to tour Australia in July.

Wales Women kick-off their campaign a week later - against Scotland on 23 March - with far more optimism following their best finish in 14 years in 2023 and ranked sixth in the world

Following successive record attendances last year against Ireland and then England, Wales Women will play a standalone Six Nations game at the Principality Stadium for the first time, against Italy on 27 April.

Wales women had previously played a double-header against Italy with the men's side in 2018 at the stadium.

Wales are two games away - both in Cardiff - from reaching Euro 2024.

After squandering automatic qualification, Robert Page's side must now beat Finland (21 March) and then the winner between Poland and Estonia five days later.

Should they win those two games, then they're packing their bags for Germany and the tournament that runs from 14 June to 14 July.

Wales would be in a group alongside France, Netherlands and Austria but at least the atmosphere for the travelling Red Wall promises to be more Euro 2016 than either the logistical headache of Euro 2020 or expense of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Relegation from the top tier of the Nations League last year means Gemma Grainger's side face a longer path to reaching their first major finals at Switzerland 2025.

However they will be buoyed ahead of the qualifying draw on 5 March by the shock 0-0 draw with world number six team Germany last time out.

"Our goal is to qualify for a European Championship. Did League A help us get closer to that? Yes it did," said manager Grainger.

"That experience ticks off the next stage of the journey for us. We are ready to qualify for a major tournament."

Wales saw several retirements last year and this is likely to be the last chance at reaching a major finals for the likes of veterans Jess Fishlock and Sophie Ingle.

Wales will face three teams home and away in the group stage, which begins on 3 April, before potentially two rounds of play-offs in October and November.

Emma Finucane emulated Becky James as the fastest female cyclist in the world in 2023 and will now have her sights firmly set on Olympic success in Paris.

Fellow Welsh cyclists Elinor and Megan Barker will aim to compete at various events, while rising young stars Zoe Backstedt and Josh Tarling may get a first Olympic chance.

The likes of Jade Jones and Lauren Williams (taekwondo), Jasmine Joyce (rugby sevens), Rosie Eccles (boxing) and Medi Harris (swimming) will all start the year with medal ambitions.

Swimmer Matt Richards had a stellar 2023, beating the Olympic champion to win 200m freestyle gold at the World Aquatic Championships as well as achieving relay gold and three British records.

On the track, Joe Brier was a 4x400m relay medallist at the World Championships, while Melissa Courtney-Bryant and Jeremiah Azu both broke long-standing Welsh records last summer.

The 33rd Olympic Games run from 26 July to 11 August.

Throwers Aled Sion Davies and Hollie Arnold look set to be among the ParalympicsGB team heading to France from 28 August to 8 September.

Three-time Paralympic champion Davies broke his own world indoor shot put record in 2023 before claiming a fifth world title in Paris last summer.

Arnold also claimed a fifth world javelin gold last year but is aiming to reclaim her 2016 Paralympic title in what would be her fifth games.

Sabrina Fortune (T20 shot), 18-year-old Michael Jenkins (F38 shot), Funmi Oduwaiye (shot and discus), Olivia Breen (long jump and 100m), Harrison Walsh (discus) and Laura Sugar (canoe) will all push for medals.

Joe Cordina reclaimed his world title in 2023, now he wants a shot at the big time.

The 31-year-old took back the IBF world super-featherweight belt he was stripped of due to injury by beating Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and then defended it against Edward Vazquez in Monte Carlo.

Now the Cardiff fighter wants a unification bout against either WBA featherweight champion Leigh Wood or WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete.

"Everyone is going to want a piece of me now. I've got a world title, now I want to make some big money to secure my family's future," he said.

This could also be the year Lauren Price becomes a world champion while Gavin Gwynne can continue his renaissance, Rhys Edwards maintain his unbeaten record and Liam Williams reminds everyone of his abilities.

In mixed martial arts (MMA), Oban Elliott is set to make his UFC debut in California following his defeat of Kaik Brito in Dana White's Contender Series last year.

Jack Shore will return to the cage following hand surgery, while former two-time world champion Brett Johns will look to continue his momentum

It could also be a big year for Cory McKenna and former two-weight Cage Warriors champion Mason Jones.

It's always entertaining when Australia are in town, not least for the cricket.

England and Australia will compete for the T20 World Cup in the summer before Australia head to these shores throughout September.

The second T20 match is at Sophia Gardens on 13 September and it promises to be colourful.

England also face Pakistan in the third T20 clash in Cardiff on 28 May, while Glamorgan start their domestic season in April with a new chief executive, chairman coach and captain.