Top 10 Significant Global Events of 2022

Another major event, the 2022 French Presidential Election, took place in two rounds: the first on April 10 and the second on April 24, in case no candidate secured a majority in the first round. It remains uncertain whether incumbent President Emmanuel Macron, who has held office since 2017, will seek re-election. However, experts generally predict that he will. Most polls suggest that Macron would win if he runs, although elections in France have been known to surprise analysts, making them a challenge for psephologists.

Several prominent figures were vying for the presidency in France, with the most serious contender being Valérie Pécresse of the conservative Les Républicains (LR) party. A December poll by Ipsos/Sopra Steria indicated that Pécresse could face off against Macron in the second round. Other candidates included far-right Marine Le Pen of the Rassemblement National party, Green Party leader Yannick Jadot, left-wing Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Socialist Anne Hidalgo, and far-right Eric Zemmour.

Election Date: April 10

The constitution of the Philippines limits presidential terms to just one; therefore, incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte is not eligible for re-election. He also decided not to run for a Senate seat in the upcoming election. Among the candidates is Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. from Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. A Pulse Asia poll conducted in early December showed him leading the race.

Approximately 67.5 million Filipinos aged 18 and above are eligible to vote, along with around 1.7 million overseas Filipinos. Once the polls close, counting begins immediately, and the candidate with the most votes wins. During his campaign, Marcos Jr. emphasized the theme of “unity” but provided little detail on his policy plans and avoided media interviews and debates.

Election Date: May 9

Czech tennis player Barbora Krejcikova claimed her first Grand Slam title by defeating Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the women's singles final at the 2021 French Open. Krejcikova hopes to replicate her impressive victory at the 2022 edition of the tournament. In the men's singles of 2021, Novak Djokovic triumphed over Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas to become the first male player in the Open Era to win all four Grand Slam titles twice. While Djokovic's form continued to improve, Rafael Nadal remained the undisputed king of clay courts.

Unlike other professional tournaments that he has missed for various reasons, the Spaniard has never missed a match at the French Open since winning his debut in 2005. He has also never lost a French Open final. Nadal has won the tournament four years in a row starting from 2017, with a total of 13 French Open titles by 2020. He was defeated by Djokovic in the 2021 semifinal.

Event Dates: May 22 - June 5

For the first time in its history, Wimbledon will not have the traditional Sunday break between the first and second week of the tournament. This change aligns Wimbledon with the other three Grand Slam events. The 2022 edition will also see the return of the infamous queue, as eager fans line up outside the venue to buy same-day tickets—a tradition that was halted due to the pandemic in 2020.

In 2021, Novak Djokovic made history by becoming the third male player, after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, to claim 20 Grand Slam titles. If he fails to secure his 21st title at one of the first two majors of the year, he will rely on his exceptional grass-court record to achieve his dream victory. Meanwhile, Ashleigh Barty will aim to defend her 2021 Wimbledon title at the 2022 tournament.

Event Dates: June 27 - July 10

Known as the 'Friendly Games', the Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport event featuring athletes from countries within the Commonwealth. The quadrennial event was last held on the Gold Coast, Australia, in 2018. The 2022 edition marks the third time England has hosted the competition, following London in 1934 and Manchester in 2002. It will also be the seventh time the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland have welcomed athletes to the Games, with previous hostings in Cardiff 1958, Edinburgh in 1970 and 1986, and Glasgow in 2014. The Games debuted in Ontario, Canada, in 1930, and only six nations have participated in every edition: Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales.

This year, Birmingham, England, will host the XXII Commonwealth Games, featuring 286 events across 19 sports. For the first time in history, more medal events will be held for women than for men, including the debut of the Women's T20 Cricket competition. In contrast, Men's Cricket has been part of the Games since 1998. Notably, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has allowed athletes to bring Pride flags to the podium. A total of 72 nations are members of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

Event Dates: July 28 - August 8

Officially known as Asiad XIX, this major sporting event will be hosted in Hangzhou, China. A total of 40 sports will feature 482 events across 61 disciplines. Hangzhou will be the third Chinese city to host the Games, following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010. The program includes 61 sports, 33 of which were part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, plus six events from the Paris 2024 Games, two local sports introduced by the hosts, and one event from each of Asia’s five regions. Esports will make its debut as an official competition.

For the first time, athletes from Australia and other Oceanian countries will participate in the Asian Games, as decided by the Olympic Council of Asia. However, they will only compete in Olympic events qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, such as basketball, association football, volleyball, and fencing. Since the 1982 Asian Games, China has led the medal tally. The Asian Games will take place in Hangzhou from September 10 to 25, 2022.

The biggest sports event of 2022 will take place in Qatar, marking the first time the FIFA World Cup is hosted in the Middle East and the Arab world. The opening match will be held at Al Bayt Stadium, which was completed in 2021. As in previous tournaments, 32 football teams will compete in the World Cup, with defending champions France qualifying in 2021. Other teams that secured their spots in 2021 include Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, and Spain—all previous World Cup winners. Qatar, as the host nation, automatically qualified.

This edition of the FIFA World Cup will be the first-ever winter World Cup in the Northern Hemisphere, as the tournament is usually held in the summer. This adjustment was necessary due to Qatar’s extreme summer heat. Additionally, Qatar has invested a staggering $200 billion in infrastructure improvements, including building new stadiums, highways, and hotels. This makes it one of the most expensive World Cups in history. Qatar will host the tournament at just 8 stadiums, the fewest in recent World Cup history.

Event Dates: November 12 - December 18

The 24th Winter Olympic Games will be hosted by Beijing, marking the first time the Winter Olympics are held in China. However, this event has become one of the most controversial in history due to diplomatic boycotts. Several major nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, decided not to send official delegations to the Games, citing concerns over human rights violations, particularly against the Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang. Japan also announced it would not send senior officials or cabinet ministers to the event.

Despite the diplomatic boycotts, athletes from these countries will still compete. Beijing will make history by becoming the first city in the world to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Several venues used during the 2008 Summer Games will be reused for the Winter Games, including locations for cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating, and ski jumping. The iconic Bird's Nest stadium will host both the opening and closing ceremonies. The Water Cube, known for swimming during the 2008 Olympics, will be the venue for curling competitions. After the Winter Olympics, Beijing will also host the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games from March 4 to 13.

Event Dates: February 4 - 20

The 2022 South Korean Presidential Election stands as one of the most significant political events in Asia for the year. Following a constitutional amendment in 1987 that limits the South Korean presidency to a single five-year term, incumbent President Moon Jae-in, like his predecessors, is ineligible to run for re-election. Leading contenders in the race are Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). Lee, a former governor of Gyeonggi Province, faces off against Yoon, a former prosecutor general of South Korea.

Two other candidates, Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party, are also running, but they are not expected to win. Sim is the only female candidate in the 2022 presidential race. A Gallup Korea poll conducted in November 2021 showed Yoon leading with 42% of support, while Lee had 31%. Ahn and Sim trailed significantly, with 7% and 5% support, respectively. In the previous presidential election, voter turnout was 77%, with over 32 million ballots cast. Moon received more than 13 million votes, nearly 50% higher than the runner-up, Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party.

Event Date: March 9

The Hong Kong Chief Executive Election is set to be another significant political event in Asia for several reasons. Notably, the election will take place as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) marks the 25th anniversary of its handover from British rule to China. Another reason for the attention is the question of "the survival of democracy". In the five years since current Chief Executive Carrie Lam took office in 2017, Hong Kong has experienced a sharp decline in human rights and democratic freedoms. Large-scale protests erupted in response to a controversial extradition bill that would have granted Beijing greater authority to punish dissent in Hong Kong.

In response, China enacted the National Security Law (NSL) in June 2020 to suppress protests. Over 100 people were arrested and around 60 were charged by the following year. The first conviction under the law occurred in July 2021, when a protester was sentenced to 9 years in prison. In June, Apple Daily, Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy newspaper, shut down after its offices were raided, assets frozen, and executives detained under the controversial law. Jimmy Lai, its owner, was imprisoned for participating in pro-democracy protests.

Event Date: March 27