1932 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships

2nd FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are held at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The events are a downhill, a slalom and a combined race in both the men's and women's categories. The winners are:

  • Men's Downhill – Gustav Lantschner (Austria)
  • Men's Slalom – Friedl Däuber (Germany)
  • Men's Combined – Otto Furrer (Switzerland)
  • Women's downhill – Paula Wiesinger (Italy)
  • Women's Slalom – Rösli Streiff (Switzerland)
  • Women's Combined – Rösli Streiff (Switzerland)

American football

  • 1932 NFL Playoff Game: the Chicago Bears won 9–0 over the Portsmouth Spartans (This was the first National Football League championship game)
  • Rose Bowl (1931 season):
  • The USC Trojans won 21–12 over the Tulane Green Wave to win the college football national championship
  • Michigan Wolverines – college football national championship shared with USC Trojans
  • Washington Redskins founded in Boston; start off as the Boston Braves

Association football

England

  • The Football League – Everton 56 points, Arsenal 54, Sheffield Wednesday 50, Huddersfield Town 48, Aston Villa 46, West Bromwich Albion 46
  • FA Cup final – Newcastle United 2–1 Arsenal at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London

France

  • A professional football league Division Nationale, first official game held on September 11, as predecessor for Ligue 1.

Germany

  • National Championship – Bayern Munich 2–0 Eintracht Frankfurt at Nuremberg

Spain

  • La Liga won by Real Madrid

Italy

  • Serie A won by Juventus

Athletics

Men's 100 metres

  • Eddie Tolan (USA) breaks the world record by running a time of 10.3 seconds

Australian rules football

VFL Premiership

  • Richmond wins the 36th VFL Premiership, defeating Carlton 13.14 (92) to 12.11 (83) in the 1932 VFL Grand Final

Brownlow Medal

  • The annual Brownlow Medal is awarded to Haydn Bunton senior (Fitzroy)

South Australian National Football League

  • 1 October: Sturt won its fourth SA(N)FL premiership, beating North Adelaide 16.14 (110) to 10.9 (69)
  • Magarey Medal won by Max Pontifex (West Torrens)

Western Australian National Football League

  • 8 October: West Perth win their fifth WA(N)FL premiership but first since 1905, beating East Perth 18.9 (117) to 10.14 (74)
  • Sandover Medal won by Keith Hough (Claremont-Cottesloe)

Bandy

Sweden

  • Championship final – IF Karlstad-Göta 3–2 Västerås SK

Baseball

World Series

  • 28 September to 2 October — New York Yankees defeats Chicago Cubs to win the 1932 World Series by 4 games to 0. In Game 3, Babe Ruth hits his famous "called shot" home run, which is followed immediately by a Lou Gehrig solo home run.

Events

  • Brooklyn's major league baseball team, known informally until now as the “Superbas”, the “Robins”, or the “Trolley Dodgers”, officially selects the name Brooklyn Dodgers

Basketball

Events

  • The 1932 South American Basketball Championship in Santiago, Chile, is won by Uruguay.

Bobsleigh

Olympic Games (Men's Competition)

Two bobsleigh events are held at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid :

  • 2-man bob – gold: USA I; silver: Switzerland II; bronze: USA II
  • 4-man bob – gold: USA I; silver: USA II; bronze: Germany I

Boxing

Events

  • Jack Sharkey wins the World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Max Schmeling on points over 15 rounds.

Lineal world champions

  • World Heavyweight Championship – Max Schmeling → Jack Sharkey
  • World Light Heavyweight Championship – Maxie Rosenbloom
  • World Middleweight Championship – vacant
  • World Welterweight Championship – Lou Brouillard → Jackie Fields
  • World Lightweight Championship – Tony Canzoneri
  • World Featherweight Championship – Bat Battalino → vacant
  • World Bantamweight Championship – Panama Al Brown
  • World Flyweight Championship – vacant

Canadian football

Grey Cup

  • 20th Grey Cup in the Canadian Football League – Hamilton Tigers 25–6 Regina Roughriders

Cricket

Events

  • India plays its first Test match, against England. England wins by 159 runs.

England

  • County Championship – Yorkshire
  • Minor Counties Championship – Buckinghamshire
  • Most runs – Herbert Sutcliffe 3,336 @ 74.13 (HS 313)
  • Most wickets – Tich Freeman 253 @ 16.39 (BB 9–61)
  • Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Ewart Astill, Freddie Brown, Alec Kennedy, C. K. Nayudu, Bill Voce

Australia

  • Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
  • Most runs – Don Bradman 1,403 @ 116.91 (HS 299*)
  • Most wickets – Clarrie Grimmett 77 @ 19.93 (BB 7–83)

India

  • Bombay Quadrangular – not contested

New Zealand

  • Plunket Shield – Wellington

South Africa

  • Currie Cup – Western Province

West Indies

  • Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad and Tobago

Curling

1932 Winter Olympics

  • Curling is a demonstration event at the 1932 Winter Olympic Games between four teams from Canada and four from the United States, Canada winning by 12 games to 4

Cycling

Tour de France

  • André Leducq wins the 26th Tour de France

Events

  • Antonio Pesenti wins the 1932 Giro d'Italia

Field hockey

1932 Summer Olympics (Men)

  • Gold Medal – India
  • Silver Medal – Japan
  • Bronze Medal – USA

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships

  • World Men's Champion – Karl Schäfer (Austria)
  • World Women's Champion – Sonja Henie (Norway)
  • World Pairs Champions – Andreé Joly-Brunet and Pierre Brunet (France)

1932 Winter Olympics

  • Men's individual – Karl Schäfer (Austria)
  • Women's individual – Sonja Henie (Norway)
  • Pairs – Andreé Joly-Brunet and Pierre Brunet (France)

Golf

Major tournaments

  • British Open – Gene Sarazen
  • U.S. Open – Gene Sarazen
  • PGA Championship – Olin Dutra

Other tournaments

  • British Amateur – John de Forest
  • U.S. Amateur – Ross Somerville
  • Women's Western Open – Jane Weiller

Harness racing

USA

  • Hambletonian – The Marchioness
  • Kentucky Futurity – The Marchioness

Horse racing

England

  • Champion Hurdle – Insurance
  • Cheltenham Gold Cup – Golden Miller (first of five successive wins)
  • Grand National – Forbra
  • 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Kandy
  • 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Orwell
  • The Derby – April the Fifth
  • The Oaks – Udaipur
  • St. Leger Stakes – Firdaussi

Australia

  • Melbourne Cup – Peter Pan III

Canada

  • King's Plate – Queensway

France

  • Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Motrico

Ireland

  • Irish Grand National – Copper Court
  • Irish Derby Stakes – Dastur

USA

  • Kentucky Derby – Burgoo King
  • Preakness Stakes – Burgoo King
  • Belmont Stakes – Faireno

Ice hockey

Stanley Cup

  • 5–9 April — Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the New York Rangers in the 1932 Stanley Cup Finals by 3 games to 0

Ice Hockey World Championships

  • Gold Medal – Canada
  • Silver Medal – USA
  • Bronze Medal – Germany

1932 Winter Olympics

  • Gold Medal – Canada
  • Silver Medal – USA
  • Bronze Medal – Germany

Motorsport

Nordic skiing

Olympic Games (Men's Competition)

  • Cross-country skiing (18 km) – gold medal: Sven Utterström (Sweden)
  • Cross-country skiing (50 km) – gold medal: Veli Saarinen (Finland)
  • Ski jumping – gold medal: Birger Ruud (Norway)
  • Nordic combined – gold medal: Johan Grøttumsbråten (Norway)

Olympic Games

1932 Winter Olympics

  • The 1932 Winter Olympics takes place at Lake Placid
  • United States team wins the most medals (12) and the most gold medals (6)

1932 Summer Olympics

  • The 1932 Summer Olympics takes place at Los Angeles
  • United States team wins the most medals (103) and the most gold medals (41)

Rowing

The Boat Race

  • 19 March — Cambridge wins the 84th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league

  • 1932 Great Britain Lions tour

England

  • Championship – St. Helens
  • Challenge Cup final – Leeds 11–8 Swinton at Central Park, Wigan
  • Lancashire League Championship – St. Helens
  • Yorkshire League Championship – Hunslet
  • Lancashire County Cup – Salford 10–8 Swinton
  • Yorkshire County Cup – Huddersfield 4–2 Hunslet

Australia

  • NSW Premiership – South Sydney 19–12 Western Suburbs (Grand Final)

Rugby union

Home Nations Championship

  • 45th Home Nations Championship series is shared by England, Ireland and Wales

Snooker

World Championship

  • 6th World Snooker Championship is won by Joe Davis who defeats Clark McConachy 30–19

Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships

  • Men's All-round Champion – Ivar Ballangrud (Norway)

1932 Winter Olympics (Men)

  • 500m – gold medal: Jack Shea (USA)
  • 1500m – gold medal: Jack Shea (USA)
  • 5000m – gold medal: Irving Jaffee (USA)
  • 10000m – gold medal: Irving Jaffee (USA)

1932 Winter Olympics (Women)

  • Women's speed skating is held as a demonstration event only with competitions over 500m, 1000m and 1500m.

Tennis

Australia

  • Australian Men's Singles Championship – Jack Crawford (Australia) defeats Harry Hopman (Australia) 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–1
  • Australian Women's Singles Championship – Coral Buttsworth (Australia) defeats Kathleen Le Messurier (Australia) 9–7, 6–4

England

  • Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Ellsworth Vines (USA) defeats Bunny Austin (Great Britain) 6–2, 6–2, 6–0
  • Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Helen Wills Moody (USA) defeats Helen Jacobs (USA) 6–3, 6–1

France

  • French Men's Singles Championship – Henri Cochet (France) defeats Giorgio de Stefani (Italy) 6–0, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
  • French Women's Singles Championship – Helen Wills Moody (USA) defeats Simonne Mathieu (France) 7–5, 6–1

USA

  • American Men's Singles Championship – Ellsworth Vines (USA) defeats Henri Cochet (France) 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
  • American Women's Singles Championship – Helen Jacobs (USA) defeats Carolin Babcock Stark (USA) 6–2, 6–2

Davis Cup

  • 1932 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – 3–2 at Stade Roland Garros (clay) Paris, France

Awards

Associated Press Athlete of the Year

  • Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Gene Sarazen (golf)
  • Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Babe Didrikson (athletics)

References