I actually had this post in mind yesterday, when I realised I’d spent quite a lot of time watching the action from the Swimming World Championships in China, and was loving it. Today, it seems to have taken on a different significance, given the news that F1 will be moving to Sky next year. However, these aren’t F1 replacements, just sports I’m starting to get more fond of, and want to see more of.

1. Swimming. As mentioned, the World Championships are taking place in China, and I’m starting to learn people’s names and the rivalries and all the great things. I must commend Mark Foster for his analysis on the BBC coverage - he and Clare Balding are in a studio back in the UK, but their conversation is engaging and informative. Good stuff.
2. Tennis. I’m sure you’re aware that I’ve been watching Wimbledon for years, but I’m really starting to learn more about the rest of the year as well. I’m one of those annoying people that didn’t really look at tennis outside of the big Wimbledon tournament, but this year I watched lots of stuff from the French Open and am intrigued at what else is on the cards.
3. Gymnastics. Plenty of people dislike the gymnastics, and I’m not a fan of all of it. I watched some of the beam action the last time it was on and was astounded. I like the beam, the asymmetric bars, and the men’s bar thing. Not so keen on the floor or the vault - floor is too prancy, vault is too fast to see.
4. Snooker. I haven’t watched snooker for a while, but I remember the moment it was explained to me and I suddenly started to see how intricate it is. It may not be athletic and it may not be explosive, but it still looks pretty difficult. Interested to see more of this.
5. Netball. You know, I’m not even sure where I managed to see some netball. I have this vague recollection in my head of seeing some women playing netball recently and thinking how fast it was and how good it was - but also getting school flashbacks. Those are never good, but the sport looked interesting. I can’t fathom where I saw it though, and I’m worried that I might have dreamt it.

I’m surprised at how much I love watching sports, considering how I hated them when I was younger. In opposite world, five sports I have not yet been converted to - horse racing, golf, boxing, rugby and cricket.