Homecoming Scotland Sporting Events at a Glance
Out of the 300 events and festivals across Scotland that are included within the official Homecoming Scotland celebrations, there is a wealth of sporting events and activities to choose from, including
The Magic Weekend in Edinburgh, the
Homecoming Scottish Cup Final in Glasgow and
The Open Championship at Turnberry. We've included details of just some of the highlights below.....
Rugby
Both codes of rugby (Union and League) as well as seven-a-side rugby are represented in the Homecoming programme.
Seven-a-side rugby was developed in Melrose in 1883 and the annual
Melrose Sevens tournament is now recognised as one of Scotland's premier sporting events. The Sevens fun doesn't finish here, however, because at the end of May, Edinburgh will play host to
The Emirates Airlines Edinburgh 7s Festival.
We're also proud to be hosting the 2009
Heineken Cup Final, European club rugby's annual showpiece as well as
The Magic Weekend, when Murrayfield Stadium will be the centre of the Rugby League universe, playing host to a full round of Super League fixtures.
Football
Scotland's passion for football is legendary and this season, to mark Homecoming Scotland, we're sponsoring the
Scottish Cup. Both semi-finals (April 25-6) as well as the final (May 30) will take place at the world famous Hampden Park in Glasgow.
Golf
As the home of golf, it should come as no surprise to learn that during 2009, Scotland will host some of golf's biggest events, including
The Open Championship at Turnberry, plus the
Barclays Scottish Open - played on the majestic Loch Lomond course, and the
Johnnie Walker Championship, which always attracts some of Europe's finest golfers.
Shinty
Shinty, a native game of Scotland that originated many hundres of years ago is among the fastest, most physically demanding and skilful sports in the world. During 2009, Scotland will play host to the
Scottish Hydro Electric Camanachd Cup Final as well as the annual
shinty / hurling international clash between Scotland and Ireland.
Curling
Scotland has a proud curling heritage and this is reflected in two curling events that are part of the official Homecoming celebrations: the
Glynhill Ladies Curling International and the
International Junior Curling Camp.
Highland Games
Highland Games offer a unique spectacle of sporting, cultural and traditional events, typically taking place against a backdrop of outstanding Scottish scenery. There are scores of
Highland Games listed in the Homecoming programme, taking place from
Aboyne to
Braemar and from
Cowal to
Alva. Look out too for the Highland Games element included in the spectacular Scottish Festival that is
The Gathering 2009. Mark a date in your diary too for the
Masters World Championships at the Inverness Highland Games.
Bikes
The bike was invented in Dumfries in 1839 by Kirkpatrick Macmillan and it will be celebrated at a number of events in 2009 including the
Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup,
Etape Caledonia - the only closed-road cycling event in the UK and
The World Mountain Bike Conference on Sustainability and The Original Bicyle Festival.
Motorsport
The
Intercontinental Rally Challenge promises to be a spectacular 3 days of fiercely competitive driving amongst the captivating surroundings of
Stirling,
Perth and Kinross. Look out too for the
Scottish Perthshire Hill Rally and the
Scottish Borders Hill Rally as well as
Homecoming at the Knockhill Racing Circuit.
Running
Run home to Scotland in 2009 and take part in the
Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running where you can also watch or take part in the Breakfast Run and the Clan Challenge. Otherwise, look out for other great running events such as the
Bupa Great Edinburgh Run.
Horses
The traditional
Borders Common Ridings feature hundreds of townsfolk on horseback and In a less traditional but no less spectacular setting, have a fun evening at Hamilton Park Racecourse who are staging a
Braveheart Night in 2009.
For a full list of all sports events included in the Homecoming Scotland 2009 programme, go to the Events Search Engine (top right of the page) and carry out a search by 'Event Type' ( Sport and Recreation). Whether you're playing or watching, have a fantastic sporting year in Scotland in 2009!
Celebrate sport in Scotland with
scotland.org.