1896 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

College championship

• College football national championship Lafayette Leopards and Princeton Tigers (shared)

Association football

England

• The Football League Aston Villa 45 points, Derby County 41, Everton 39, Bolton Wanderers 37, Sunderland 37, Stoke FC 30
• FA Cup final The Wednesday 2 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers at Crystal Palace, London.

Scotland

• Scottish Football League Celtic
• Scottish Cup final Hearts 3 1 Hibernian at Logie Green

Baseball

National championship

• Baltimore Orioles win the third of three successive National League championships

Events

• Temple Cup Baltimore Orioles 4 0 Cleveland Spiders

Boxing

Lineal world champions^[1]

• World Heavyweight Championship James J. Corbett
• World Middleweight Championship title vacant
• World Welterweight Championship Tommy Ryan
• World Lightweight Championship vacant George "Kid" Lavigne
• World Featherweight Championship George Dixon
• World Bantamweight Championship Jimmy Barry

Cricket

Events

• England retain The Ashes, defeating Australia 2 1 in a three-match series. In a low-scoring decider at The Oval, England win by 66 runs.

England

• County Championship Yorkshire
• Minor Counties Championship Worcestershire
• Most runs K S Ranjitsinhji 2780 @ 57.91 (HS 171*)
• Most wickets J T Hearne 257 @ 14.28 (BB 9 73)
• Wisden Five Cricketers of the Season Syd Gregory, Dick Lilley, K S Ranjitsinhji, Tom Richardson, Hugh Trumble

Australia

• Sheffield Shield New South Wales
• Most runs Harry Donnan 626 @ 69.55 (HS 160)
• Most wickets Tom McKibbin 46 @ 23.86 (BB 8 93)

India

• Bombay Presidency Europeans shared with Parsees

South Africa

• Currie Cup not contested

West Indies

• Inter-Colonial Tournament not contested

Figure skating

Events

• Inaugural World Figure Skating Championships (open to men only) is held in Saint Petersburg

World Figure Skating Championships

• World Men's Champion Gilbert Fuchs (Germany)

Golf

Major tournaments

• British Open Harry Vardon (the first of Vardon's six British Open titles)
• US Open James Foulis

Other tournaments

• British Amateur Freddie Tait
• US Amateur H. J. Whigham

Horse racing

England

• Grand National The Soarer
• 1,000 Guineas Stakes Thais
• 2,000 Guineas Stakes St. Frusquin
• Epsom Derby Persimmon
• Epsom Oaks Canterbury Pilgrim
• St. Leger Stakes Persimmon

Australia

• Melbourne Cup Newhaven

Canada

• Queen's Plate Millbrook

Ireland

• Irish Grand National Royston Crow
• Irish Derby Stakes Gulsalberk

USA

• Kentucky Derby Lieut. Gibson
• Preakness Stakes Margrave
• Belmont Stakes Hastings

Ice hockey

• February 14 - The Winnipeg Victorias defeat the Montreal Victorias 2 0 in a challenge match to win the 1896 Stanley Cup championship
• March 7 - The Montreal Victorias are the 1896 AHAC season champions.
• March - Queen's University defeats Stratford, Ontario 12 3 to win the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) title. The club does not challenge Winnipeg.
• December 30 - The Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6 5 in a challenge match to regain the Stanley Cup

Motor racing

Paris-Marseille-Paris Trail

• The Paris-Marseille-Paris Trail is held over 1710 km from 24 September to 3 October and won by mile Mayade driving a Panhard-Levassor 8 hp model in a time of 67:42:58. The race is in retrospect sometimes referred to as the II Grand Prix de l'ACF.^[2]

Olympic Games

1896 Summer Olympics

• The 1896 Summer Olympics, the first modern Games, takes place in Athens with 13 nations competing, the most competitors coming from Greece, Germany and France.
• 16 April American James Connolly wins the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in over 1,500 years.
• Winners receive a silver medal and a crown of olive branches; Greece wins the most medals (46) and the United States wins the most gold medals (11).

Rowing

The Boat Race

• 28 March Oxford wins the 53rd Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league

Events

• In the 1895 96 Northern Rugby Football Union season's final match, Manningham defeats Halifax to claim the inaugural Rugby Football League Championship.
• The inaugural Rugby League Challenge Cup competition begins in the 1896 97 season.

England

• Championship Manningham
• Lancashire League Championship Runcorn
• Yorkshire League Championship Manningham

Rugby union

Home Nations Championship

• 14th Home Nations Championship series is won by Ireland

Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships

• Men's All-round Champion Jaap Eden (Netherlands)

Tennis

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship Harold Mahoney (Ireland) defeats Wilfred Baddeley (GB) 6 2 6 8 5 7 8 6 6 3
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship Charlotte Cooper Sterry (GB) defeats Alice Simpson-Pickering (GB) 6 2 6 3

France

• French Men's Singles Championship Andr Vacherot defeats G rard Brosselin 6 1 7 5

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship Robert Wrenn defeats Fred Hovey 7 5 3 6 6 0 1 6 6 1
• American Women's Singles Championship Elisabeth Moore defeats Juliette Atkinson 6 4 4 6 6 2 6 2

References

de:Sportjahr 1896 fr:1896 en sport he:1896 hu:1896 a sportban ja:1896 no:Sports ret 1896 pt:1896 no desporto sv:Sport ret 1896 zh:1896