1982 in sports

1982 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

 * Alpine Skiing World Cup:
 * Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, United States
 * Women's overall season champion: Erika Hess, Switzerland

American football

 * Super Bowl XVI – the San Francisco 49ers (NFC) won 26–21 over the Cincinnati Bengals (AFC)
 * Location: Pontiac Silverdome
 * Attendance: 81,270
 * MVP: Joe Montana, QB (San Francisco)
 * Orange Bowl (1981 season):
 * The Clemson Tigers won 22-15 over the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the college football national championship
 * Strike – First regular season strike by NFL players ends on November 16 after 57 days.

Association football

 * World Cup in Spain – Italy beats West Germany 3-1 for their third title.
 * Champions' Cup – Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern München
 * UEFA Cup – Two legs; 1st leg IFK Göteborg 1-0 Hamburger SV; 2nd leg Hamburger SV 0-3 IFK Göteborg. IFK Göteborg won 4-0 on aggregate. 66 fans died in the Luzhniki disaster during the UEFA Cup second round match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem in Moscow on 20 October.
 * Cup Winners' Cup – Barcelona 2-1 Standard Liège
 * Super Cup – Two legs; 1st leg Barcelona 1-0 Aston Villa; 2nd leg Aston Villa 3-0 Barcelona. Aston Villa won 3-1 on aggregate
 * Copa Libertadores de América – Two legs; 1st leg Peñarol 0-0 Cobreloa; 2nd leg Cobreloa 0-1 Peñarol. Peñarol win 1-0 on aggregate
 * England – FA Cup – Tottenham Hotspur won 1-0 over Queens Park Rangers

Athletics

 * September – 1982 European Athletics Championships held in Athens
 * October – 1982 Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane, Australia
 * December – 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi, India

Australian rules football

 * Victorian Football League
 * Carlton wins the 86th VFL Premiership (Carlton 14.19 (103) d Richmond 12.13 (83))
 * Brownlow Medal awarded to Brian Wilson (Melbourne)
 * The inaugural VFL Players Association Most Valuable Player Award goes to Leigh Matthews (Hawthorn). The award would be renamed the Leigh Matthews Trophy in his honour in 2002.

Baseball

 * March 27 – KBO League, a professional baseball league in South Korea, a first officially game held.
 * May 30 – Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles plays the first of what will become a record-breaking 2,632 consecutive games
 * July 13 – Montreal hosts the first MLB All-Star Game outside the United States. Reds SS Dave Concepción hits a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning to spark the National League to its 11th consecutive win over the American League 4-1. The NL has now won 19 of the last 20 contests. Concepción was named the MVP.
 * August 18 – Pete Rose sets record with his 13,941st plate appearance.
 * World Series – St. Louis Cardinals won 4 games to 3 over the Milwaukee Brewers to claim their first World Championship since 1967. The Series MVP was Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter.
 * The Salem Angels won the Northwest League championship.

Basketball

 * NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
 * North Carolina wins 63-62 over Georgetown
 * NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship
 * Louisiana Tech wins 76–62 over Cheyney State
 * NBA Finals –
 * Los Angeles Lakers won 4 games to 2 over the Philadelphia 76ers
 * National Basketball League (Australia) Finals:
 * West Adelaide Bearcats defeated the Geelong Cats 80-74 in the final.
 * FIBA World Championship
 * USSR World Champion

Boxing

 * May 4 to May 15 – 1982 World Amateur Boxing Championships held in Munich
 * June 11 – Larry Holmes defeats Gerry Cooney for the WBC Heavyweight title. Cooney, a white challenger, was dubbed "The White Hope" in what built up to be a very racially toned fight: see Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney.
 * November 12 – Aaron Pryor defeats Alexis Argüello in what would later be called the fight of the decade. Pryor retained the WBA's world Jr. Welterweight title with a 14th round knockout
 * November 13 – Ray Mancini defeats Duk Koo Kim by knockout in 14 rounds in a tragic fight. Kim died four days later and the fight's outcome brought many new resolutions to boxing.
 * December 3 – The Carnival of Champions; Wilfredo Gomez defeats Lupe Pintor by a 14th round knockout and Thomas Hearns defeats Wilfred Benitez by a 15 rounds majority decision; all four boxers are later enshrined as members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Canadian football

 * Grey Cup – Edmonton Eskimos won 32–16 over the Toronto Argonauts, the Eskimos' record fifth consecutive Grey Cup victory.
 * Vanier Cup – UBC Thunderbirds won 39–14 over the Western Ontario Mustangs

Cricket

 * Graham Gooch leads a "rebel" team of players on tour of South Africa, banned from official cricket since 1970 because of apartheid.

Cycling

 * Giro d'Italia won by Bernard Hinault of France
 * Tour de France – Bernard Hinault of France
 * UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Giuseppe Saronni of Italy

Dogsled racing

 * Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
 * Rick Swenson won with lead sled dog – Andy

Field hockey

 * Men's World Cup held in Bombay won by Pakistan
 * Men's Champions Trophy held at Amstelveen in the Netherlands and won by the host nation

Figure skating

 * World Figure Skating Championship –
 * Men's champion: Scott Hamilton, United States
 * Ladies' champion: Elaine Zayak, United States
 * Pair skating champions: Sabine Baeß & Tassilo Thierbach, Germany
 * Ice dancing champions: Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean, Great Britain

Gaelic Athletic Association

 * Camogie
 * All-Ireland Camogie Champion: Cork
 * National Camogie League: Kilkenny
 * Gaelic football
 * All-Ireland Senior Football Championship – Offaly 1-15 died Kerry 0-17
 * National Football League – Kerry 1-9 died Cork 0-5 (replay)
 * Ladies' Gaelic football
 * All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Kerry
 * National Football League: Kerry
 * Hurling
 * All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – Kilkenny 3-18 died Cork 1-13
 * National Hurling League – Kilkenny 2–14 beat Wexford 1–11

Golf
Men's professional Men's amateur Women's professional
 * Masters Tournament – Craig Stadler
 * U.S. Open – Tom Watson
 * British Open – Tom Watson
 * PGA Championship – Raymond Floyd
 * PGA Tour money leader – Craig Stadler – $446,462
 * Senior PGA Tour money leader – Miller Barber – $106,890
 * British Amateur – Martin Thompson
 * U.S. Amateur – Jay Sigel
 * LPGA Championship – Jan Stephenson
 * U.S. Women's Open – Janet Anderson
 * Classique Peter Jackson Classic – Sandra Haynie
 * LPGA Tour money leader – JoAnne Carner – $310,400

Harness racing

 * United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
 * Cane Pace – Cam Fella
 * Little Brown Jug – Merger
 * Messenger Stakes – Cam Fella
 * United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
 * Hambletonian – Speed Bowl
 * Yonkers Trot – Mystic Park
 * Kentucky Futurity – Jazz Cosmos
 * Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
 * Pacers: Rhett's Law

Horse racing
Steeplechases Flat races
 * Cheltenham Gold Cup – Silver Buck
 * Grand National – Grittar
 * Australia – Melbourn Cup won by Gurner's Lane
 * Canada – Queen's Plate won by Son of Briartic
 * France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Akiyda
 * Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Assert
 * Japan – Japan Cup won by Half Iced
 * English Triple Crown Races:
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Zino
 * The Derby – Golden Fleece
 * St. Leger Stakes – Touching Wood
 * United States Triple Crown Races:
 * Kentucky Derby – Gato Del Sol
 * 1982 Preakness Stakes – Aloma's Ruler
 * Belmont Stakes – Conquistador Cielo

Ice hockey

 * Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
 * Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
 * Stanley Cup – New York Islanders win 4-0 over the Vancouver Canucks
 * World Hockey Championship –
 * Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia
 * Junior Men's champion: Canada defeated Czechoslovakia

Rugby league

 * 1982 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France
 * 1982 KB Cup
 * 1982 New Zealand rugby league season
 * 1982 NSWRFL season – Parramatta Eels win their second title, defeating Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 21-8 in the final.
 * 1981–82 Rugby Football League season / 1982–83 Rugby Football League season
 * 1982 State of Origin series

Rugby union

 * 88th Five Nations Championship series is won by Ireland

Snooker

 * World Snooker Championship – Alex Higgins beats Ray Reardon 18-15
 * World rankings – Ray Reardon becomes world number one for 1982/83

Swimming

 * The fourth FINA World Championships held in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Tennis

 * Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
 * Australian Open – Johan Kriek
 * French Open – Mats Wilander
 * Wimbledon championships – Jimmy Connors
 * U.S. Open – Jimmy Connors
 * Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
 * Australian Open – Chris Evert
 * French Open – Martina Navratilova
 * Wimbledon championships – Martina Navratilova
 * U.S. Open – Chris Evert
 * Davis Cup – United States won 4-1 over France in world tennis.
 * Billie Jean King makes her final singles appearance at the US Open, losing in the first round.
 * Total prize money at US Open exceeds 1 million US dollars.

Volleyball

 * 1982 FIVB Men's World Championship held in Buenos Aires, Argentina won by USSR
 * 1982 FIVB Women's World Championship held in Lima, Peru won by China

Water polo

 * Men's World Championship held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, won by USSR

Multi-sport events

 * Asian Games held in New Delhi, India
 * Central American and Caribbean Games held in Havana, Cuba
 * Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane, Australia

Awards

 * Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Wayne Gretzky, NHL ice hockey
 * Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Mary Decker, Track and field
 * ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Wayne Gretzky