With the European Championship returning this summer it is a good time to look back on the history of this storied and long running competition and some of the great matches it has given us over the years. Here is the first in a five part list of the most famous, controversial and entertaining encounters from the 13 previous tournaments.

Euro 2004 did not serve up all that much in terms of classic football. Few of the various superstars who were expected to light up the tournament beforehand (including those of host nation Portugal's “Golden Generation”) performed when it mattered and the eventual victors were Greece, a side with no household names or established stars. During the group stages, however, there was a genuine match for the ages – a titanic battle between two of the most gifted nations in Europe which would have been worthy of any final.

The Dutch came into the game having drawn their opening match against arch-rivals Germany and so desperately seeking a win. The Czechs had defeated Latvia in their first game and knew 3 points would put them through to the next round. Holland came out ferociously in the first half and went two up within twenty minutes – a powerful header from Wilfred Bouma and a brilliantly worked team effort finished by Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

Czech striker Milan Baros soon got his side back in the game, however, with an easy tap in. The Dutch were unlucky not to restore the two goal advantage soon after, however, when Edgar Davids struck the bar with a cracking long range effort.

Neither team let up in the second half. After 70 minutes of extraordinary end to end football, Baros struck again to level the game. The Dutch began to lose composure - Jonny Hetinga picked up a second yellow card to leave them with just ten men to fight the relentless Czech attack. Nedved hit the bar with an incredible long range effort late on which came close to putting the Czech's ahead. With 2 minutes left on the clock Vladimir Smicer did just that to put his side through to the quarter finals.

Quick, sharp, good in the air with a great turn of pace and a dynamite finish – Fernando Torres has proven in the past with Athletico Madrid, Liverpool and Spain that he is unquestionably a world class striker. Yet his last season and a half with Chelsea has seen the Spanish world cup winner net just 3 goals in 31 games at Stamford Bridge and there is much head scratching amongst pundits, players, coaches and fans as to how he has dropped so suddenly in form. Torres is not, however, the first striker to come to Chelsea with a big price tag and bigger expectations which he failed to meet during the Abramovich era. Andriy Shevchenko went through an almost identical drop in form back when he signed for the Blues in 2006.

At that time Shevchenko was almost unanimously considered the best centre forward on the planet. Over 7 glorious seasons with AC Milan the Ukrainian netted 127 goals in 208 games while winning the Serie A Title, the Champions League, the Ballon d'Or and was the top scorer in Europe in two seasons. A master of positioning, timing and strength, at his best Shevchenko was unplayable. All of which made his lack of success at Chelsea all the more troublesome. Shevchenko hit the net just 9 times in 48 matches at the London giants and moved back to his first club, Dynamo Kiev, after 3 difficult seasons. Many reports suggested trouble stemmed from the fact that then Chelsea manager Jose Mourhino did not want Shevchenko in his team and that the transfer was made by owner Roman Abramovich without his consent.

So, is Torres destined to go the same way? Well there certainly are similarities. Like the Shevchenko transfer, Torres' arrival at Stamford Bridge has been reported to have been made without the approval of then Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelloti. Yet Torres' performances have been better than Shevchenko's were at Chelsea and it is simply absurd to think he has become a poor player overnight.

This week has been a typically mixed one for Mario Balotelli, Manchester City's mercurial striker. On Sunday he came off the bench during City's extraordinary top of the table clash with Tottenham Hotspur to win and then slot home the game winning penalty in injury time. Yet in the same game Balotelli was caught on camera aiming and connecting a viscous stamp on Scott Parker as the Spurs' midfielder lay beneath him on the ground. Though the referee didn't see it at the time, the FA did and Balotelli now faces the possibility of a four match ban.

It was the latest in a long line of bizarre incidents in the fiery Sicilian's career, stretching all the way back to his time with Inter Milan. Balotelli joined Inter as a 16 year old and quickly impressed on the field with his intense attacking play while at the same time getting into trouble off it. Most frequently at Inter the striker had trouble with then manager Jose Mourhino who openly criticised Balotelli for his apparent lack of effort in training. Balotelli also found himself the target of abuse from Inter's supporters during this period after he appeared on Italian television wearing the strip of city rivals AC Milan. 

Despite the controversies, Balotelli proved time and again on the pitch that he had all the weapons in his arsenal to be a world class striker. Built like an oak-tree, dominant in the air and with a wonderful first touch Balotelli's abilities were never in doubt at Inter but his catalogue of disciplinary problems contributed to the decision to transfer him to Man City in 2010.

Since arriving at the City of Manchester Stadium Balotelli has continued in much the same vein as he played in Italy: wonderful though often showing signs of petulance on the pitch, while behaving in a frequently bizarre fashion off it. Incidents over the last two seasons have included everything from handing over 1000 pounds to a homeless man to breaking team curfew before an important league game to setting his mansion alight while putting on a late night fireworks display.

It was a huge blow to Manchester United fans when the team was eliminated in the early stages of the 2011 UEFA Champions League. The English team, who enjoy a cult-like following worldwide, were sent packing by the Switzerland's FC Basel on December 7th at St. Jakob Park Basel stadium. The Red Devils suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Swiss champions.

This is only the third time in seventeen years that the three-time European Champions have failed to advance past the group stage, having made it to three of the past four Champions League Finals. Their loss was blamed on shoddy defence, as well as poor handling of the ball by United goalkeeper David De Gea. At the end of the match, Sir Alex Fergusson and his men did not seem to believe what had just transpired, such an occurrence must be a blow when you are used to winning.

This is why a recent decision by FIFA could be just what the Red Devils need. FC Sion, a Swiss team, was thrown out of the Europa League for allowing ineligible players to participate in their match against Celtic. These players had been declared ineligible because they were acquired during the time when a transfer ban had been affected against the club – as a consequence for breaking regulations in the signing of Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El- Hadary. FIFA has given the Swiss Football Association until January 13th 2012 to take action against FC Sion or risk suspension of Switzerland and their football clubs from International competitions. If the ban is to take effect, FC Basel will be withdrawn from the Champions League and Manchester United allowed back into the competition.

This is a story about one man who has realised he can make a difference all by himself, and no matter how small, it counts. Henry Wanyoike is a Kenyan athlete. He is among the fastest runners in the world, having started training while still a young boy. He mostly participates in marathon races as well as 5,000 and 10,000 meter distances.

Wanyoike's first international appearance was in Sydney, Australia in the year 2000 where he won a gold medal in the 5,000 meter race at the paralympic games. Henry Wanyoike is blind, having lost his sight gradually since he suffered a stroke in 1995. He clearly recalls the day he woke up and found surrounded by darkness, he thought his life had come to an end. With the help and support of his mother, he went to a nearby eye hospital where a project had been started to train visually impaired people to knit pullovers so that they could provide for themselves. Henry never forgot that he was a capable athlete despite his blindness; he yearned to pursue his dream. He approached his childhood friend Joseph Kibunja and asked him to be his guide.

A blind runner needs a guide to instruct him when to turn, avoid an obstacle or accelerate. This guide is usually connected to the runner by a tether on the wrist. Henry and Joseph trained with dedication and landed a coveted spot on the Kenyan team. On his first appearance at the Paralympics in Sydney, he won the 5,000 meters race. He also set a Paralympic record.

It has been a long wait since the Beijing 2008 Olympics. For fans of various sporting events that wait is nearly over as the month-long extravaganza is set to begin later this year. The Olympic Games trace their origin back to ancient Greece, and they are now governed by the International Olympic Committee which is responsible for selecting the host city from the bidding nations, overseeing the planning of the Olympic Games, approving the sports schedule and negotiating sponsorship and broadcasting rights for the event.

The Olympic Games encompass a wide array of games, ranging from gymnastics and swimming to marathon races and football. Participants representing countries from all over the world compete for national honours, the culmination of which award with medals and global recognition.

Following a competitive bid and evaluation of the various cities, London won the honour of hosting the 2012 Games from 27th July to 12th August 2012. This will be the third time that London is hosting the Olympics, having done so previously in 1908 and 1948. A lot of planning has gone into the event in terms of venues and infrastructure, transportation and financing. The total cost of hosting the event is rumoured to be just shy of ten billion pounds, with funding coming from the government, London local authority and sponsors such as Coca Cola, Samsung and VISA.

It has been estimated that some 8 billion tickets will be available for the games. Sale of tickets have already started, although it is done in phases. The first tickets were sold on the application website between March and April 2010, while the next window for purchase of tickets was from between the months of June and July 2011. Some 204 Nations across the world are expected to send a total of 10,500 participants. In consideration of this and the current situation in the world, the British government is investing heavily in security to avert any acts of terrorism from taking place.

Sports tourism is a relatively new phenomenon that is fast capturing the attention of people all over the world. It involves customers travelling away from the environments that they are used to with the intention to either view or take part in a sporting event. There are many destinations worldwide that are perfect for this sort of recreation. The locations, however, depend on the type of sport you are interested in. Sports tourism is categorised into five different groups:

1. Sport Event Tourism- Such tourism mostly occurs when there is a major sporting event about to take place or taking place. A good example of this is during Olympics. The host country usually receives a large number of tourists.

2. Celebrity and Nostalgic Sport Tourism- This category involves visiting famous sports halls and venues where historical achievements in sports were made. You can often meet sports personalities that are respected in their fields.

3. Active Sport Tourism- This involves actual participation in a sporting event. This is mostly done by athletes who visit other countries to participate in low profile races and marathons in preparation for major international competitions.

4. Soft Sport Tourism- This involves participation in recreational sports, mainly just for fun. Some of the sports that people travel to take part in include skiing and hiking.

5. Hard Sport Tourism- The definition of this kind of travel is based on the number of people taking part in the sporting activity. Visitors are motivated to visit places where a large quantity of people are participating in a sport event. Examples include the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics Games.

It is incredible that people can earn a fortune doing something that they enjoy. In the past, there was not as much financial emphasis in sports. Sports were seen more as hobbies, things to do for fun when taking a break from studies or from work, whilst work was regarded as sitting behind a desk crunching numbers, or doing something manual.

This was until the sporting industry grew, proving to people that it is possible to make money doing something you enjoy. Currently, sports personalities are some of the highest paid people in the world. According to the Forbes Magazine, for the period between May 2010 and May 2011, the highest paid sports personalities were:

1. Tiger Woods- The high flying golf player earned 75 million USD. Despite the fact that Tiger has not been winning tournaments of late, and has not received any endorsements since his much publicised infidelity scandal, he still remains number one on the list.

2. Kobe Bryant- The highest paid NBA player made a cool 53 million USD. Kobe earned a salary of 24.8 million USD, a whole 4 million USD more than any other basketball player. He also signed up to endorse Mercedes-Benz's Smart Car brand in China.

3. LeBron James- LeBron has the #1 basketball shoe on the market made by Nike and his earnings came to a total of 48 million USD. LeBron also owns a minor stake in soccer club Liverpool FC.

4. Roger Federer- This king of endorsement deals pocketed 47 million USD. He has 10 major endorsement deals including Nike, Rolex and Wilson.

NASCAR legend Tony Stewart was in a pretty bad place this summer. He hadn’t won a race in a while, and was suffering with low morale. He had dismissed his chances of being favoured in the beginning of NASCAR’s champion chase. Then, all of a sudden, something unexpected snapped in his mind, and he knew he could win it.

He came back so strong that, in the very beginning of the racing run, he received three trophies one of which he seized over the famous power struggle with Carl Edwards. Homestead Miami Speedway is now a title of his that will be fondly remembered with all true NASCAR lovers. As a true chaser, he passed 118 cars in the space of the race and made one of the best races of his career that night. At 31 years old and with form not on his side, the audience, were hardly expecting him to top his previous achievements.

He was reviewed by his childhood hero A. J. Foyt by this bold statement: "I think Tony drove the best race of his life.” He was thrilled by this response and thanked him stating that “not many people can hear your lifelong hero say that. Just really, really flattering.” Foyt, if you don’t know him already, was hugely successful in motor racing during the 60s and 70s and holds many trophies and records. Many current professional, such as Stewart, consider Foyt to be a role model.

The Olympics are the most important sporting event for diverse disciplines, such as athletics and gymnastics. Though the Olympic Games are less widely watched when compared to the FIFA World Cup, by many people, they are considered to be more prestigious. The 2012 Summer Olympic Games will take place in the 30th Olympiad. This time, the Summer Games will be held in a city that has hosted them twice in the past: London, England.

Historically, London has had quite an association with the Olympics. Having hosted two previous Olympic Games – in 1908 and 1948 – it will become the first contemporary city to host the games a total of three times. With this newest addition to London’s Olympic tradition, the city has been working to remodel and touch up many of its sights and buildings – and not only those that will be used in the actual Olympic events. Since the city won the Olympic bid, there has been substantial renovation to the pre-existing stadiums and other facilities. The most extensive of the new additions was the Athlete’s Village in Portland, where tradition mandates that the athletes stay.

The venues for the Olympic Games will primarily be some of the pre-existing ones. Given the problems that many cities have with building a completely new stadium for the Olympic Games, the city of London has decided to use many of the already existing stadiums and other venues for the Games. Some of the ones that will be used for the Games are Wembley Arena, Hyde Park, the O2 Arena and the Olympic Stadium. The athletics events and opening/closing ceremonies will be held at this last one, which has a capacity for 80,000 spectators. It was also specially constructed for the Olympic Games.