See also: 1987 in sports, other events of 1988, 1989 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.

Auto Racing

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• Stock car racing:
  • Bobby Allison won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Bill Elliott
• CART Racing - Danny Sullivan won the season championship
  • Indianapolis 500 - Rick Mears
• Formula One Championship - Ayrton Senna of Brazil
• 24 hours of Le Mans:
  • won by the team of Jan Lammers / Johnny Dumfries / Andy Wallace driving a Jaguar XJR-9LM
• Rally racing - Miki Biasion in a Lancia won the World Rally Championship
  • the team of Bruno Saby / Jean-Francois Fauchille won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Lancia Delta HF 4x4
• Drag racing - Joe Amato won the NHRA "Top Fuel" championship.

Baseball

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• January 12: Former Pirates slugger Willie Stargell is the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Stargell, leader of two world champions in Pittsburgh and NL co-MVP in 1979 at age 39, becomes the 17th player to be elected in his first year of eligibility. Jim Bunning falls four votes shy of the 321 needed for election in his 13th year on the ballot.

• August 8: The first night game ever at Wrigley Field is scheduled, but is rained out. The history-making game would be played the following night.

• World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers won 4 games to 1 over the Oakland Athletics. The Series MVP was Orel Hershiser, Los Angeles

Basketball

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• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
  • Kansas wins 83-79 over Oklahoma

• NBA Finals:
  • Los Angeles Lakers won 4 games to 3 over the Detroit Pistons

Boxing

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• June 6 - In Las Vegas, Nevada, Iran Barkley knocked out Thomas Hearns in the 3rd round to win the WBC Middleweight Title.
• June 27 In what was dubbed Superfight '88 Mike Tyson knocks out Michael Spinks in Atlantic City, New Jersey and defends the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World.
• November 7 - In Las Vegas, Nevada, boxer Sugar Ray Leonard knocks out Donnie LaLonde.

Cycling

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• Giro d'Italia won by Andrew Hampsten of the United States
• Tour de France - Pedro Delgado of Spain
• World Cycling Championship: Maurizio Fondriest of Italy

Field Hockey

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• Men's Champions Trophy in Lahore, Pakistan
  • Gold Medal: West Germany
  • Silver Medal: Pakistan
  • Bronze Medal: Australia

• Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Seoul, South Korea
  • Gold Medal: Great Britain
  • Silver Medal: West Germany
  • Bronze Medal: The Netherlands

Figure Skating

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• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Brian Boitano, (United States)
  • Women's champion: Katarina Witt, (East Germany)
  • Pairs champions: Elena Valova & Oleg Vasiliev, (Soviet Union)

Football (American)

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• Super Bowl XXII: Washington Redskins won their second Super Bowl title 42-10 over the Denver Broncos.
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeat West Virginia Mountaineers in college National Championship game.

Football (Australian Rules)

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• Victorian Football League
  • Hawthorn wins the 92nd VFL Premiership (Hawthorn 22.20 (152) d Melbourne 6.20 (56))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Gerard Healy (Sydney Swans)

Football (Canadian)

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• Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers won 22-21 over the B.C. Lions
• Vanier Cup: Calgary Dinos won 52-23 over the St. Mary's Huskies

Football (rugby league)

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The Sydney New South Wales Rugby League premiership expanded its competition further from its 1982 expansions with the introduction of three new teams. With these new inclusions came the first club team into Queensland, also the inclusion of a Gold Coast team in Tweed Heads and the return of a new Newcastle franchise - Newcastle Knights.

• Sixteen Teams competing

Balmain Tigers,

Brisbane Broncos,

Canberra Raiders,

Canterbury Bulldogs,

Cronulla Sharks,

Eastern Suburbs Roosters,

Gold Coast-Tweed Giants,

Illawarra Steelers,

Manly Sea Eagles,

Newcastle Knights,

North Sydney Bears,

Parramatta Eels,

Penrith Panthers,

St. George Dragons,

South Sydney Rabbitohs,

Western Suburbs Magpies,

Team	Played	Wins	Draws	Losses	For	Against	Points
Cronulla Sharks	22	16	2	4	507	330	34
Canterbury Bulldogs	22	16		6	412	268	32
Canberra Raiders	22	15		7	596	346	30
Manly Sea Eagles	22	15		7	538	347	30
Penrith Panthers	22	15		7	394	258	30
Balmain Tigers	22	15		7	402	341	30
Brisbane Broncos	22	14		8	474	368	28
South Sydney Rabbitohs	22	12	2	8	425	383	24
North Sydney Bears	22	9	2	11	366	424	20
St. George Dragons	22	9		13	352	493	18
Parramatta Eels	22	8		14	359	412	16
Eastern Suburbs Roosters	22	6	3	13	387	443	15
Illawarra Steelers	22	6	1	15	353	510	13
Newcastle Knights	22	5	1	16	270	460	11
Gold Coast-Tweed Giants	22	4	2	16	238	484	10
Western Suburbs Magpies	22	4	1	17	287	493	9

• • Canterbury Bulldogs win their sixth title, defeating Balmain Tigers 24-12 in the final.

Football (Soccer)

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For fuller coverage, see: 1988 in football (soccer)

Gaelic Athletic Association

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• Camogie
  • All-Ireland Camogie Champion: Kilkenny
  • National Camogie League: Kilkenny

• Gaelic football
  • All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: Meath 0-13 d. Cork 0-9
  • National Football League: Meath 2-13 d. Dublin 0-11

• Ladies' Gaelic football
  • All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Kerry
  • National Football League: Kerry

• Hurling
  • All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: Galway 1-15 d. Tipperary 0-14
  • National Hurling League:

Golf

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Men's Golf

• Major championship results:
  1. May - The Masters - Sandy Lyle
  2. June - US Open - Curtis Strange
  3. July - British Open - Seve Ballesteros
  4. August - PGA Championship - Jeff Sluman

• Professional Tour leading money winner for the year: Curtis Strange - $1,147,644
• Champions Tour leading money winner: Bob Charles - $533,929

Women's Golf

• US Women's Open - Liselotte Neumann
• LPGA Championship - Sherri Turner
• Sherri Turner: leading money winner on the LPGA tour with earnings of $347,255.

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

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• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Empire Rose
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Regal Intention
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Tony Bin
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Kahyasi

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Doyoun
  2. Epsom Derby - Kahyasi
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Minister Son

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby - Winning Colors
  2. Preakness Stakes - Risen Star
  3. Belmont Stakes - Risen Star

• Breeders' Cup:
  1. Breeders' Cup Classic - Alysheba
  2. Breeders' Cup Distaff - Personal Ensign
  3. Breeders' Cup Juvenile - Is It True
  4. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies - Open Mind
  5. Breeders' Cup Mile - Miesque
  6. Breeders' Cup Sprint - Gulch
  7. Breeders' Cup Turf - Great Communicator

Harness Racing

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• North America Cup - Jate Lobell

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Runnymede Lobell
  2. Little Brown Jug - B.J. Scoot
  3. Messenger Stakes - Matt's Scooter

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Armbro Goal
  2. Yonkers Trot - Southern Newton
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Huggie Hanover

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Our Maestro
  • Trotters: True Roman

Ice Hockey

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• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins

• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins

• Stanley Cup: Edmonton Oilers won 4 games to 0 over the Boston Bruins

• August 9 - Hockey's Wayne Gretzky traded to the Los Angeles Kings

• World Hockey Championship:
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union won the Olympic gold medal
  • Junior Men's champion: Canada defeated the USSR

• December 31 - In a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils, Mario Lemieux scores five goals and becomes the only player in NHL history to score a goal in all five possible game situations in the same game: even-strength, power play, shorthanded, penalty shot, and empty net.

Lacrosse

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• Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League changes their name to the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL).
• The Baltimore Thunder beat the Washington Wave 11-10 to win the Major Indoor Lacrosse League Championship.
• The Brooklin­ Redmen win the Mann Cup.
• The Kitchener-Waterloo win the Founders Cup.
• The Esquimalt Legion win the Minto Cup.

Radiosport

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• Fourth Amateur Radio Direction Finding World Championship held in Beatenberg, Switzerland.

Skiing

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• Alpine Skiing
  • The men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland
  • The women's overall season champion: Michela Figini, Switzerland

Snooker

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• World Snooker Championship: Steve Davis beats Terry Griffiths 18-11
• World rankings: Steve Davis remains world number one for 1988/89

Tennis

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• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Mats Wilander
  2. French Open - Mats Wilander
  3. Wimbledon championships - Stefan Edberg
  4. US Open - Mats Wilander

• Steffi Graf becomes only the third woman in history to win the Grand Slam in tennis:
  1. Australian Open - Steffi Graf
  2. French Open - Steffi Graf
  3. Wimbledon championships - Steffi Graf
  4. US Open - Steffi Graf

• Davis Cup: Germany won 4-1 over Sweden in world team tennis.

General sporting events

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• 1988 Summer Olympics takes place in Seoul, South Korea
  • USSR wins the most medals (132), and the most gold medals (55).
  • September 24: Canada's Ben Johnson wins Olympic gold in 100 metres. Two days later, he is stripped of the medal after testing positive for a banned substance.

• 1988 Winter Olympics takes place in Calgary, Canada
  • USSR wins the most medals (29), and the most gold medals (11).

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion:
  • Susan Butcher wins with lead dogs: Granite & Tolstoi

Births

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• January 25 — Tatiana Golovin, French tennis player
• February 12 — Nicoleta Daniela Şofronie, Romanian artistic gymnast
• April 3 — Anja Klinar, Slovenian butterfly and medley swimmer
• June 9 — Sara Isakovič, Slovenian freestyle swimmer
• August 5 — Federica Pellegrini, Italian swimmer
• September 19 — Thiemo de Bakker, Dutch tennis player
• December 4 — Lisa Ingildeeva, Russia-born gymnast from Germany
• December 15 — Ilona Senderek, Polish figure skater

Deaths

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• January 5 — Pete Maravich, NBA basketball hall of famer
• February 28 — Harvey Kuenn, Major League Baseball player (1952-1966)
• March 16 — Mickey Thompson, auto race driver — murdered
• March 19 — Bun Cook, National Hockey League and Hockey Hall of Fame player
• March 21 — Edd Roush, Major League Baseball player (1963-1931)
• March 29 — Ted Kluszewski, Major League Baseball player (1947-1961)
• April 10 — Cliff Gladwin, English cricketer
• July 8 — Ray Barbuti (83), American athlete and American football player (b. 1905)
• August 14 — Enzo Ferrari, Italian automobile manufacturer
• October 13 — Mike Venezia, jockey, racing accident at Belmont Park
• October 22 — Henry Armstrong, World boxing champion
• November 21 — "King" Carl Hubbell, Major League Baseball pitcher (1928-1943)

1988 in sports

1988 ve sportu | 1988 en sport | 1988年のスポーツ | Sportåret 1988