2004 in sports
All you want to know about 2004 in sports
| Years in sports: | 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
| Centuries: | 20th century · 21st century · 22nd century |
| Decades: | 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s |
| Years: | 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
Events
On January 28, International Olympic Committee Vice-President Kim Un-yong is arrested on charges of corruption in Seoul. Prosecutors arrest Kim minutes after an arrest warrant is issued by the Seoul District Court, and the 72-year-old was put behind bars after his pre-trial detention was approved.
On April 27, the International Olympic Committee takes out insurance in case the Athens Olympic Games are canceled due to terrorism or natural disasters.
On May 18, the International Olympic Committee announced the list of cities accepted as candidates to host the 2012 Olympic Games. The five candidate cities are Paris, New York, Moscow, London and Madrid.
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Olympics opened in Athens, Greece on August 13.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
36 | 39 | 27 | 102 |
| 2 |  China |
32 | 17 | 14 | 63 |
| 3 |  Russia |
27 | 27 | 38 | 92 |
| 4 |  Australia |
17 | 16 | 16 | 49 |
| 5 |  Japan |
16 | 9 | 12 | 37 |
Athletics
-
- For an extensive coverage see 2004 in athletics (track and field)
Cross-country running
-
- January 3 - Winners from the 2004 Great Winter Run X-country race at Newcastle, England:
- Women's 6.3 km: Tirunesh Dibada, Ethiopia 21:01
- Men's 8.0 km: Sileshi Sihine, Ethiopia 26:15
- January 3 - Winners from the 2004 Great Winter Run X-country race at Newcastle, England:
Track
- United States Olympic Track and Field trials, Sacramento, California:
- July 10 - Marion Jones finishes fourth in the qualifying for the 100 meter dash, and therefore fails to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics in that event. (Jones did qualify for the Olympics in the long jump.)
- July 11 - Tim Montgomery, current world record holder in the men's 100 meter run, fails to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics, finishing 7th out of 8 competitors in the trials finals.
Marathon
International Races
- April 4 —
Rotterdam Marathon, Netherlands
- Men's Winner: Felix Limo (KEN) 2:06:14
- Women's Winner: Zhor El Kamch (MAR) 2:26:10
- April 18 —
London Marathon, United Kingdom
- Men's Winner: Evans Rutto (KEN) 2:06:18
- Women's Winner: Margaret Okayo (KEN) 2:22:35
- April 19 —
Boston Marathon, United States
- Men's Winner: Timothy Cherigat (KEN) 2:10:37
- Women's Winner: Catherine Ndereba (KEN) 2:24:27
- May 16 — Enschede Marathon, Netherlands
- Men's Winner: Girma Tolla (ETH) 2:10:33
- Women's Winner: Nadezhda Wijenberg (NED) 2:31:23
- August 22 —
Olympic Marathon, Athens, Greece
- Women's Winner: Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) 2:26:20
- August 29 — Olympic Marathon, Athens, Greece
- Men's Winner: Stefano Baldini (ITA) 2:10:55
- November 7 — New York City Marathon, United States
- Men's Winner: Hendrik Ramaala (RSA) 2:09:28
- Women's Winner:Paula Radcliffe (GBR) 2:23:10
- December 5 —
Fukuoka Marathon, Japan
- Men's Winner: Tsuyoshi Ogata (JPN) 2:09:10
National Champions
- April 4 — Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Men's Winner: Luc Krotwaar — 2:11:56
- Women's Winner: Nadezhda Wijenberg — 2:38:38
- April 18 —
London, England
- Men's Winner: Jonathan Brown — 2:13:39
- Women's Winner: Birhan Dagne — 2:34:45
- May 30 —
Ottawa, Canada
- Men's Winner: Matthew McInnes — 2:18:52
- Women's Winner: Nicole Stevenson — 2:34:45
- July 4 —
Turku, Finland
- Men's Winner: Petri Saavalainen — 2:24:22
- Women's Winner: Marjaana Lahti — 2:55:38
- September 12 —
Sydney, Australia
- Men's Winner: Daniel Green — 2:23:06
- Women's Winner: Jenny Wickman — 2:55:09
- October 3 —
Budapest, Hungary
- Men's Winner: Roland Ádók — 2:26:34
- Women's Winner: Simona Staicu — 2:38:17
Auto Racing
- Stock car racing (NASCAR):
- February 15 - Daytona 500: won by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- November 21st - Kurt Busch wins the 2004 Nextel Cup at the conclusion of a ten-race "playoff" by seven points.
- Indy Racing League:
- May 30 - Indianapolis 500: won by Buddy Rice
- Formula One:
- August 15 - Ferrari clinch Formula One constructors title
- August 29 - Michael Schumacher clinches seventh Formula One title
- 24 hours of Le Mans
- June - Tom Kristensen / Rinaldo Capello / Seiji Ara driving an Audi R8 with Audi Sport Japan Team Goh win the LMP1 class and overall victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
- The LMP2 category was won by the #32 Interport Racing Lola with drivers Bill Binnie, Clint Field, and Rick Sutherland.
- The GTS category was won by the #65 Chevrolet Corvette with drivers Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta, and Jan Magnussen.
- The GT category was won by the #90 White Lightning Porsche with drivers Sascha Maassen, Jörg Bergmeister, and Patrick Long.
- June - Tom Kristensen / Rinaldo Capello / Seiji Ara driving an Audi R8 with Audi Sport Japan Team Goh win the LMP1 class and overall victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
- V8 Supercar:
- March - Marcos Ambrose (Ford Falcon) won Adelaide 500
- November - Andrews Jones (Ford Falcon) won V8 Development (level two) Series
- October 10 - Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly (Holden Commodore) won Bathurst 1000
- September - Marcos Ambrose (Ford Falcon) won V8 Championship Series
- Formula 3000:
- Vitantonio Liuzzi wins the title by comfortable margin;; championship is replaced by GP2 for the new year
- Superfund Euro 3000 Series
- champion - Nicky Pastorelli of The Netherlands
- Asian Formula 3
- Inaugural season of the Asian Formula Three Championship.
- The French Citroen crew of Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena win their first World Rally Championship title.
Baseball
- June 27 College World Series: Cal State Fullerton wins the NCAA College World Series, defeating Texas 3-2 to win the best-of-three championship series 2-0.
- July 4: Éric Gagné's consecutive saves streak ended at 84 in a 6-5 Los Angeles Dodgers victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks
- July 10: Barry Bonds breaks his own record for intentional walks received in a season; amazingly, he broke the former full-season record of 68 set in 2002 before the All-Star break. After three intentional walks in a 3-1 San Francisco Giants win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, his total stood at 71. He would end the season with 120.
- August 8: At Comerica Park, Boston Red Sox outslugged the Detroit Tigers 11-9, despite knuckle baller Tim Wakefield giving up a record six home runs.
- August 31: The Cleveland Indians win a 22-0 rout of the New York Yankees, who endured the worst shutout loss in league history.
- September 17: At San Francisco, Barry Bonds became just the third player in MLB history to hit 700 home runs. Bonds joined the select company of Hall of Famers Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) with his historic blast off San Diego Padres Jake Peavy in the third inning.
- September 17: At Seattle, Ichiro Suzuki hits his 199th single of the season, breaking the major league baseball record of 198, set by Lloyd Waner in 1927.
- September 29: Major League Baseball announces that the Montreal Expos will be moved to the Washington, DC area for the 2005 season.
- October 1: Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners gets two base hits to break the 83-year-old record for most hits in a single season. The previous record, held by George Sisler, was 257 hits in a season.
- October 20: The Boston Red Sox win the ALCS, coming back from 0-3 in the best-of-seven series against the New York Yankees.
- October 26: Seibu Lions PL defeats Chunichi Dragons CL, 4 games to 3 in the Japan Series.
- October 27: The Boston Red Sox sweep the St. Louis Cardinals, four games to none, to win the World Series for the first time in 86 years.
See also 2004 in baseball
Basketball
- NBA Finals: The Detroit Pistons, in a major upset, defeat the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 1. It is the Pistons first NBA title in fourteen years.
- November 19 - A game between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers is called with less than a minute remaining after a fight between opposing players turns into a far more massive brawl between Pacers players and Pistons supporters. For more details on the brawl and its aftermath, see Pacers-Pistons brawl.
- The Los Angeles Lakers dynasty is dismantled, after Shaquille O'Neal is traded to the Miami Heat, Phil Jackson retires, and many role players either sign with other teams (such as Derek Fisher) or retire (such as Rick Fox).
- NCAA Men's Basketball Championship
- The UConn Huskies win 82-73 over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. UConn's Emeka Okafor is named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
- NCAA Women's Basketball Championship
- The UConn Huskies defeat the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, 70-61, making UConn the first school to win both the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball championships in the same season. A Division II school, Central Missouri State, was the first to accomplish this double in 1984. UConn's Diana Taurasi is named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
- August 25- The Puerto Rican National Basketball Team defeats the United States' Dream Team 92-73 on the opening game if the 2004 Summer Olympics. This marked the first time the Dream Team lost an Olympic Game.
- Euroleague: Maccabi Tel-Aviv of Israel wins the final 118-74 over Fortitudo Bologna of Italy.
- ULEB Cup: Hapoel Jerusalem of Israel wins the title after winning Real Madrid in the final.
- Chinese Basketball Association finals: Guangdong Southern Tigers defeat Bayi Rockets, 3 games to 1.
- National Basketball League (Australia): Sydney Kings defeated the West Sydney Razorbacks 3-2 in best-of-five final series.
Boxing
- February 19 to 29 – 35th European Amateur Boxing Championships held in Pula, Croatia
- Light Flyweight (– 48 kg): Sergey Kazakov (Russia)
- Flyweight (– 51 kg): Georgi Balakshin (Russia)
- Bantamweight (– 54 kg): Gennady Kovalev (Russia)
- Featherweight (– 57 kg): Vitaly Tajbert (Germany)
- Lightweight (– 60 kg): Dimitar Stilianov (Bulgaria)
- Light Welterweight (– 64 kg): Alexander Maletin (Russia)
- Welterweight (– 69 kg): Oleg Saitov (Russia)
- Middleweight (– 75 kg): Gaidarbek Gaidarbekov (Russia)
- Light Heavyweight (– 81 kg): Evgeny Makarenko (Russia)
- Heavyweight (– 91 kg): Alexander Alexeyev (Russia)
- Super Heavyweight (+ 91 kg): Alexander Povetkin (Russia)
- March 13 – The world junior middleweight championship was unified as Shane Mosley lost to Winky Wright.
- May 15 – Antonio Tarver won the WBC light-heavyweight title with a stunning second-round knockout of champion Roy Jones Jr.
- July 30 – Danny Williams knocks out Mike Tyson in the fourth round of a non-championship bout.
- August 16 – Robert Quiroga, former International Boxing Federation super flyweight champion, found stabbed to death.
- September 18 – Bernard Hopkins successfully defends his undisputed middleweight title with a ninth-round knockout of Oscar de la Hoya.
Cricket
- March 5 - Pakistan beat the West Indies by 25 runs to win the 2004 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
- March 12 - Shane Warne becomes the first spinner in history to take 500 Test wickets.
- March 13 - India beat Pakistan in the highest scoring One Day International ever (693 runs), in the opening match of their first Pakistan tour since 1989.
- April - Ricky Ponting is named Leading Cricketer in the World by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
- April 2 - Zimbabwe Cricket Union announces the retirement of Heath Streak as captain of Zimbabwe. It is later revealed he was sacked, and 15 senior players withdraw from Zimbabwean cricket, citing political interference by Robert Mugabe's government in team selection.
- April 12 - The West Indies' Brian Lara regains the individual Test innings record from Australian Matthew Hayden with 400 not out in the fourth Test against England in St. John's, Antigua.
- May 8 - Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan breaks Courtney Walsh's world record of 519 Test wickets with his 520th wicket against Zimbabwe in Harare.
- June 10 - Zimbabwe Cricket Union agrees to abandon any further Test matches in 2004, under pressure from International Cricket Council over substandard teams due to 15 striking players.
- June 19 - September 4 - Inaugural Pro Cricket season, the first professional cricket tournament in the United States.
- September 10 - September 25 - ICC Champions Trophy in England: West Indies beats England in the final.
see also 2004 in cricket
Curling
- 2004 Nokia Brier:
- Final: (March 14) Nova Scotia (Mark Dacey) 10-9 Alberta (Randy Ferbey)
- 2004 Scott Tournament of Hearts:
- Final: (February 29) Canada (Colleen Jones) 7-4 Quebec (Marie-France Larouche)
- 2004 Ford World Curling Championship:
- Women's Final: (April 24) Canada (Colleen Jones) 8-4 Norway (Dordi Nordby)
- Men's Final: (April 25) Sweden (Peja Lindholm) 7-6 Germany (Sebastian Stock)
- Canada Cup
- Women's Final: (January 10) Colleen Jones 8-7 Sherry Anderson
- Men's Final: (January 11) Randy Ferbey 10-3 John Morris
- M&M Meat Shops National Final (January 25) Glenn Howard 5-3 Jeff Stoughton
- PharmAssist Players' Championship Final (April 4) John Morris 7-5 Jeff Stoughton
- 2004 Canadian mixed curling championship Final: (January 18) Alberta (Shannon Kleibrink) 9-5 Ontario (Heath McCormick) Shannon Kleibrink becomes the first woman to skip and win the Canadian mixed curling championship. Last year, she was the first to skip and participate in the event, losing only in the final.
- Canadian Senior Curling Championship
- Women's Final: (February 1) Ontario (Anne Dunn) 7-3 British Columbia (Kathy Smiley)
- Men's Final: (February 1) Newfoundland and Labrador (Bas Buckle) 9-8 Nova Scotia (Steve Ogden)
- World Junior Curling Championships
- Women's Final: (March 27) Norway (Linn Githmark) 9-6 Canada (Jill Mouzar)
- Men's Final: (March 28) Sweden (Niklas Edin) 6-4 Switzerland (Stefan Rindisblacher)
Cycling
Road Cycling
- Giro d'Italia - won by Damiano Cunego of Italy. Sprinter Alessandro Petacchi wins nine stages. See 2004 Giro d'Italia
- Tour de France -
- Overall (Yellow jersey) - Lance Armstrong, his record-setting sixth consecutive title.
- King of the Mountains (Polka dot jersey) - Richard Virenque, a record seventh title
- Points Classification (Green jersey) - Robbie McEwen
- Young Rider (White jersey) - Vladimir Karpets
- Team - T-Mobile Team
Cyclo-cross
- UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Pont-Château, France (January 31–February 1)
- Men's Competition
- Gold – Bart Wellens
- Silver – Mario De Clercq
- Bronze – Sven Vanthourenhout
- Women's Competition
- Gold – Laurence Leboucher
- Silver – Maryline Salvetat
- Bronze – Hanka Kupfernagel
Field Hockey
World Competitions
- Men's Olympic Qualifier Tournament in Madrid, Spain
- Gold Medal: The Netherlands
- Silver Medal: Spain
- Bronze Medal: Pakistan
- Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Athens, Greece
- Gold Medal: Australia
- Silver Medal: The Netherlands
- Bronze Medal: Germany
- Men's Champions Trophy in Lahore, Pakistan
- Gold Medal: Spain
- Silver Medal: The Netherlands
- Bronze Medal: Pakistan
- Women's Olympic Qualifier Tournament in Auckland, New Zealand
- Gold Medal: Japan
- Silver Medal: Spain
- Bronze Medal: New Zealand
- Olympic Games (Women's Competition) in Athens, Greece
- Gold Medal: Germany
- Silver Medal: The Netherlands
- Bronze Medal: Argentina
- Women's Champions Trophy in Rosario, Argentina
- Gold Medal: The Netherlands
- Silver Medal: Germany
- Bronze Medal: Argentina
Regional Competitions
- Men's Pan American Cup in London, Canada
- Gold Medal: Argentina
- Silver Medal: Canada
- Bronze Medal: Chile
- Women's Asia Cup in New Delhi, India
- Gold Medal: India
- Silver Medal: Japan
- Bronze Medal: China
- Women's Pan American Cup in Bridgetown, Barbados
- Gold Medal: Argentina
- Silver Medal: United States
- Bronze Medal: Canada
Figure skating
- Canadian Figure Skating Championships at Edmonton:
- January 9
- Junior Ice dance winners: Tessa Virtue, (London) and Scott Moir (Ilderton, Ontario), 2.8 factored placements
- Junior Pairs winners: Jessica Dubé, (Drummondville, Quebec) and Bryce Davison, (Cambridge, Ontario), 1.5 factored placements
- January 10
- Junior Women's singles winner: Myriane Samson, (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec), 1.5 factored placements
- January 11
- Senior Ice Dance winners: Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, (Boisbriand, Quebec), 2.0
- January 9
- 2004 United States Figure Skating Championships at Atlanta, Georgia:
- January 8:
- Junior Pairs winners: Shantel Jordan and Jeremy Barrett, Bradenton, Florida, 2.5 factored placements
- January 9:
- Junior Men's winner: Christopher Toland, 3.5
- Junior Ice Dance winners: Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin, New York City, 2.0
- January 10:
- Senior Men's winner: Johnny Weir, Newark, Delaware, 1.5
- Senior Pairs winners: Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, 2.0
- Junior Ladies' winner: Kimberly Meissner, Bel Air, Maryland, 2.0
- Senior Ice Dance winners: Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto, Detroit, Michigan, 2.0
- January 11:
- Senior Ladies' winner: Michelle Kwan, 2.0
- January 8:
- 2004 European Figure Skating Championships, Budapest, Hungary
- February 4, Senior Pairs:
- 1-Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, Russia, 1.5 factored placements
- 2-Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov, Russia, 3.0
- 3-Dorota Zagorska and Mariusz Siudek, Poland, 4.5
- February 5, Senior Men's:
- Brian Joubert, France, 2.6
- Evgeny Plushenko, Russia, 3.0
- Ilia Klimkin, Russia, 5.6
- February 6, Senior Ice Dance:
- Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov, Russia, 2.0
- Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski, Bulgaria, 4.6
- Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov, Ukraine, 5.4
- February 7: Senior Ladies':
- Julia Sebestyen, Hungary, 1.5
- Elena Liashenko, Ukraine, 4.0
- Elena Sokolova, Russia, 5.0
- February 4, Senior Pairs:
- 2004 World Figure Skating Championships, Dortmund, Germany
- March 24, Senior Pairs:
- Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, Russia, 2.5 factored placements
- Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, China, 3.0
- Pang Qing and Tong Jian, China
- March 25, Senior Men's:
- Evgeny Plushenko, Russia, 2.0
- Brian Joubert, France, 4.0
- Stefan Lindemann, Germany, 6.0
- March 26, Senior Dance:
- Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov, Russia, 2.0
- Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski, Bulgaria, 3.6
- Kati Winkler and René Lohse, Germany, 6.2
- March 27, Senior Ladies':
- Shizuka Arakawa, Japan, 2.6
- Sasha Cohen, United States, 4.0
- Michelle Kwan, United States, 5.6
- March 24, Senior Pairs:
Football (American)
- College football Bowl Championship Series (2003 season):
- January 1 - Rose Bowl: USC 28, Michigan 14
- January 1 - Orange Bowl: Miami 16, Florida State 14
- January 2 - Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State 35, Kansas State 28
- January 4 - Sugar Bowl: LSU 21, Oklahoma 14
- January 5 - LSU is awarded the 2003 BCS national championship; USC is awarded the 2003 Associated Press national championship
- College football (other divisions; 2004 season):
- Division I-AA: James Madison 31, Montana 21
- Division II: Valdosta State 36, Pittsburg State 31
- Division III: Linfield 28, Mary Hardin-Baylor 21
- National Football League:
- February 1 - Super Bowl XXXVIII: New England Patriots 32, Carolina Panthers 29 at Houston, Texas
- August 8 - John Elway, Barry Sanders, Carl Eller and Bob Brown are inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- September 19 - Jerry Rice's record of 274 consecutive games with a pass reception comes to an end, although his Oakland Raiders defeat the Buffalo Bills, 13-10.
- September 27 - Morten Andersen appears in his 341st NFL game, breaking the record set by George Blanda.
- December 26 - Peyton Manning threw his 49th touchdown pass of the season in a game against the San Diego Chargers breaking Dan Marino's single season touchdown record
- NFL Europe:
- June 12 - World Bowl: Berlin Thunder 30, Frankfurt Galaxy 24
- Arena Football League:
Football (Australian rules)
- Australian Football League
- Port Adelaide wins the 108th AFL premiership (Port Adelaide 17.11 (113) d Brisbane Lions 10.13 (73))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Chris Judd (West Coast Eagles)
- See also Australian Football League season 2004
Football (Canadian)
- November 21: Toronto Argonauts defeats British Columbia Lions 27-19 in the 92nd Grey Cup, played in Ottawa, Canada.
Football (rugby league)
- May 15 - St Helens defeat Wigan Warriors 32-16 to win the Challenge Cup.
- June 17 - Martin Gleeson and Sean Long are banned for four and three months respectively after placing bets on their side, St Helens, to lose a Super League match against the Bradford Bulls.
- October 3 - Canterbury Bulldogs defeat Sydney Roosters 16-13 in the Grand Final to win the NRL premiership.
- October 16 - Leeds Rhinos defeat Bradford Bulls 16-8 in the Super League Grand Final to become champions of Super League IX.
- November 27 - Australia defeat Great Britain 44-4 in the final of the second Tri-Nations competition.
Football (Rugby Union)
- Hong Kong Sevens - England beat Argentina 22-12
- Super 12 - ACT Brumbies defeated Crusaders 47-38
- Six Nations Championship - France (Grand Slam). Ireland win the Triple Crown.
- Heineken Cup - London Wasps defeated Toulouse 27-20
- Tri Nations Series - The Springboks of South Africa win due to bonus points, after all sides finish with two wins and two losses. The All Blacks of New Zealand retain the Bledisloe Cup.
- International Rugby Board year-end awards:
- Player of the Year: Schalk Burger, South Africa
- Coach of the Year: Jake White, South Africa
- Team of the Year: South Africa
Football (Soccer)
-
- For an extensive coverage see 2004 in football (soccer)
- February 14 – Tunisia beat Morocco 2-1 to clinch the first African Cup of Nations in the country's history.
- May 26 – Porto defeat AS Monaco 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League final in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
- July 4 – Greece surprising win the UEFA Euro 2004 football tournament, defeating the host nation Portugal 1-0.
- July 25 – Brazil win the Copa América football tournament, defeating Argentina 4-2 on penalties.
- August 7 – Japan win the 2004 Asian Cup football tournament, defeating China 3-1.
- August 26 – United States win the Olympic women's football tournament, defeating Brazil 2-1 in extra time.
- August 28 – Argentina win the Olympic men's football tournament, defeating Paraguay 1-0.
- September 7 – Cienciano defeats Boca Juniors 4-2 on penalties to win the South American Recopa final in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
- December 17 – Boca Juniors defeats Bolívar 2-1 on aggregate to win the Copa Sudamericana final in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Gaelic Athletic Association
- Gaelic football
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: Kerry 1-20 d. Mayo 2-9
- National Football League: Kerry 3-11 d. Galway 1-16
- Tommy Murphy Cup: Clare 1-11 d. Sligo 0-11
Gliding
- World Gliding Championships, Elverum, Norway
- Club Class Winner: Sebastian Kawa, Poland; Glider: SZD-48-3M Brawo
Golf
Men's professional
- Major Championships
- April 11 - Masters Tournament - Phil Mickelson wins the first major of his career.
- June 20 - U.S. Open - Retief Goosen wins his second U.S. Open title
- July 18 - British Open - Todd Hamilton, a virtual unknown, wins at Royal Troon in a playoff over Ernie Els
- August 15 - PGA Championship - Vijay Singh wins in a three-hole playoff over Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard.
- Other highlights
- February 29 - Tiger Woods wins the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship for the second consecutive year
- September 6 - Vijay Singh replaces Tiger Woods at the top of the world rankings, ending Woods' record reign of five years and four weeks.
- September 17-19 - Team Europe defeats Team USA 18½ - 9½ to retain the Ryder Cup. See 2004 Ryder Cup for more details.
- Awards
- PGA Tour Player of the Year: Vijay Singh
- PGA Tour leading money winner: Vijay Singh wins a record $10,905,166
- PGA Tour Rookie of the Year: Todd Hamilton
- Champions Tour money leader - Craig Stadler - $2,306,066
Men's amateur
- British Amateur - Stuart Wilson
- U.S. Amateur - Ryan Moore
- European Amateur - Matthew Richardson
Women's professional
- March 28 - Kraft Nabisco Championship - Grace Park wins the first major of the LPGA season, by one shot over 17-year-old Aree Song. Michelle Wie finished fourth, four shots behind Park.
- June 13 - LPGA Championship - Annika Sörenstam
- U.S. Women's Open - Meg Mallon
- Women's British Open - Karen Stupples
- LPGA Tour money leader - Annika Sörenstam - $2,544,707
- January 15-16 - At the age of 14, golf prodigy Michelle Wie becomes the youngest woman (and only the fourth overall) to play at a PGA Tour event, shooting 72-68 (even par) at the Sony Open in Hawaii in her hometown of Honolulu. She missed the cut by one stroke.
Handball
Men's Competition
Women's Competition
Harness Racing
- Windsong's Legacy becomes the seventh horse to win the North American Trotting Triple Crown.
Thoroughbred Horse Racing
Flat races
- Australia
- November 2 - Makybe Diva wins the Melbourne Cup.
- Canada
- June 27 - Niigon wins the Queen's Plate.
- France
- October 3 - Bago wins the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
- Ireland
- June 27 - Grey Swallow wins the Irish Derby.
- English Triple Crown
- May 1 - Haafhd wins the 2,000 Guineas Stakes.
- June 5 - North Light wins the Epsom Derby.
- September 11 - Rule of Law wins the St. Leger Stakes.
- Other English races
- May 2 - Attraction wins the 1,000 Guineas Stakes.
- June 4 - Ouija Board wins the Epsom Oaks.
- United States Triple Crown
- May 1 - Smarty Jones wins the Kentucky Derby.
- May 15 - Smarty Jones wins the Preakness Stakes by a record margin of 11½ lengths.
- June 5 - Birdstone wins the Belmont Stakes.
- Other United States races
- April 30 - Ashado wins the Kentucky Oaks.
- August 28 - Birdstone wins the Travers Stakes.
- October 30 - Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas:
- Ghostzapper wins the Breeders' Cup Classic.
- Ashado wins the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
- Ouija Board wins the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
- Wilko wins the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
- Sweet Catomine wins the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
- Singletary wins the Breeders' Cup Mile.
- Speightstown wins the Breeders' Cup Sprint.
- Better Talk Now wins the Breeders' Cup Turf.
Steeplechases
- United Kingdom
- March 18 - Best Mate wins a third consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cup.
- April 3 - Amberleigh House wins the Grand National.
Ice Hockey
- January 4 - Under 17 World Championship at St. John's
- Gold Medal Game: Ontario 5, Pacific 2
- Bronze Medal Game: Team Quebec 3, United States 2
- January 5 - 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships at Helsinki, Finland
- Gold Medal Game: United States 4, Canada 3
- Bronze Medal Game: Finland 2, Czech Republic 1
- February 12 - An independent audit by Arthur Levitt reveals that National Hockey League teams lost a collective US$273 million in 2003, and suggests the league is "on the road to oblivion."
- April 6 - 2004 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships at Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Gold Medal Game: Canada 2, United States 0
- Bronze Medal Game: Finland 3,
Sweden 2
- Gold Medal Game:
- April 10 - National Women's Hockey League championship at Brampton, Ontario
- April 18 - IIHF World Under-18 Championship at Minsk, Belarus
- Gold Medal Game: Russia 3, United States 2
- Bronze Medal Game: Czech Republic 3, Canada 2
- April 25 - Allan Cup at Saint-Georges, Quebec
- Allan Cup Final: Saint-Georges Garaga 5, Ministlkwan Islanders 0
- April 25 - Canadian National Midget Championship at Kenora, Ontario
- May 9 - 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships at Prague, Czech Republic
- Gold Medal Game: Canada 5, Sweden 3
- Bronze Medal Game: United States 1,
Slovakia 0 (SO)
- Gold Medal Game:
- May 23 - Memorial Cup at Kelowna, British Columbia
- 2004 Memorial Cup Final: Kelowna Rockets 2, Gatineau Olympques 1
- June 7 - Stanley Cup - Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Calgary Flames 4 games to 3 to win the Stanley Cup.
- September 14 - World Cup of Hockey at Toronto, Canada
- September 15 - NHL collective bargaining agreement expires. Commissioner Gary Bettman announces a lockout of NHLPA players (see: 2004-05 NHL lockout).
- October 11 - Jean Perron named head coach of Israeli national under-18 hockey team
Kabaddi
- November 21 - India wins the first-ever World Cup kabaddi championship defeating Iran in the final held at Mumbai.
Lacrosse
- February 22 - National Lacrosse League - The East Division All-Stars defeat the West Division All-Stars 19-15 in the All Star Game.
- May 7 - National Lacrosse League - <