Sports quiz of the week: World Cup, French Open, Lord’s, Giro and NBA

. UK edition

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Matvey Safonov and the World Cup.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Matvey Safonov and the World Cup. Composite: Getty, Shutterstock

Have you followed the big stories in football, rugby, cricket, cycling, basketball, horse racing, tennis and hockey?

  1. The World Cup begins on Thursday. Where?

    1. Mexico City

    2. Vancouver

    3. Toronto

    4. New Jersey

  2. There are 1,248 players in the 48 World Cup squads. In which country were 98 of them born?

    1. Brazil

    2. France

    3. Spain

    4. Senegal

  3. PSG beat Arsenal in the Champions League final on Saturday night. How many saves did the PSG goalkeeper, Matvey Safonov, make in the match (including the penalty shootout)?

    1. None

    2. Two

    3. Four

    4. Ten

  4. There were three Challenge Cup finals played at Wembley on Saturday: the men’s, women’s and schools final. All three were won by teams from …

    1. St Helens

    2. Wigan

    3. Leeds

    4. Hull

  5. Staying on the subject of teams winning three finals, Manchester City won the men’s FA Cup, women’s FA Cup and Youth FA Cup this season. Which other club has won all three cups in the same year?

    1. Chelsea

    2. Liverpool

    3. ​Arsenal

    4. ​W​est Ham

  6. Serena Williams is making a comeback to tennis at the age of 44. When did she win the last of her 23 grand slam singles titles?

    1. 2014

    2. 2017

    3. 2020

    4. 2023

  7. Where are Item, Action, Christmas Day and Poker competing this weekend?

    1. Las Vegas

    2. Machu Picchu

    3. Cheltenham

    4. Epsom

  8. Maja Chwalińska has reached the women’s final at the French Open. What is her world ranking?

    1. No 56

    2. No 87

    3. No 114

    4. No 323

  9. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won the player of the tournament award in the IPL and was given a car. Why is that not the best prize for him?

    1. He is a sworn environmentalist who refuses to drive

    2. He was given a Tata Sierra but is sponsored by BMW so had to give it back

    3. He is just 15 years old so cannot drive it

    4. Police have banned him from driving in case he “distracts other road users”

  10. England are hosting New Zealand this week in the 150th Test match to be played at Lord’s. Where did the ground get its name?

    1. It was funded by Lord Beech, a local writer, philanthropist and philanderer

    2. The Church of England provided the land for the ground but insisted it had a “religious” name

    3. The ground is on a high street called Lordship Lane

    4. It is named after the cricketer Thomas Lord

  11. Which sporting event is visiting Raleigh and Paradise this week?

    1. NBA Finals

    2. Women’s Giro d’Italia

    3. Stanley Cup final

    4. T20 Blast

  12. Lorena Wiebes won the opening stage of the women’s Giro d’Italia, but why will she not complete the race this weekend?

    1. She is 12 weeks pregnant and was only allowed to race during her first trimester

    2. She was disqualified after the first stage because her bike was too light

    3. She is a strict Mormon and does not work on Sundays

    4. She was a stand-in rider who has since been taken out of the team

  13. Which team is trying to win the NBA Finals for the first time since 1973?

    1. San Antonio Spurs

    2. New York Knicks

    3. Oklahoma City Thunder

    4. LA Lakers

  14. Tahith Chong scored for Curaçao in their 4-1 friendly defeat to Scotland. Why is he unique among Dick Advocaat’s squad?

    1. He has played in the Champions League

    2. He was born in the Netherlands

    3. He has never visited the island

    4. He was born in Curaçao

  15. Which country shocked Canada to win their first medal at the men’s ice hockey world championship last week?

    1. Switzerland

    2. Hungary

    3. Norway

    4. Great Britain

  16. Wales are playing Montenegro in a Women’s World Cup qualifier on Friday. Their trip to Podgorica was hit by travel delays – where did manager Rhian Wilkinson have to spend the night?

    1. The British embassy in Podgorica

    2. The waiting area of an Italian airport

    3. The team training base in Newport

    4. A sleeper train from Paris to Budapest

Solutions

1:A - Mexico are playing South Africa in the opening match – a rerun of the first game in the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, which finished 1-1. , 2:B - Twelve of the squads contain players born in France: France (23), Algeria (13), Haiti (12), DR Congo (11), Senegal (10), Côte d’Ivoire (eight), Tunisia (seven), Morocco (six), Ghana (three), Cape Verde (three), Egypt (one) and Spain (one)., 3:A - He did not make a single save in the 120 minutes of the match or the shootout. , 4:B - Wigan Warriors won the men’s and women’s finals – and the schools final was contested by two teams from the town., 5:A - Chelsea did it in the 2017-18 season.​ , 6:B - She won (at least one) grand slam title in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Not bad. , 7:D - They are four of the horses racing at the Derby on Saturday. Benvenuto Cellini is the favourite. , 8:C - The 24-year-old has earned more prize money this week than in the rest of her career combined. , 9:C - He will be able to drive it in three years’ time. , 10:D - The first Test at Lord's was in 1884, when England beat Australia., 11:C - The Carolina Hurricanes (who are based in Raleigh, North Carolina) are taking on the Vegas Golden Knights (who are based in Paradise, Nevada). , 12:B - The bike weighed 6.78kg – just 20 grams shy of the lower limit of 6.8kg. Very harsh. , 13:B - Their opponents in the finals, San Antonio Spurs, have won the championship five times since then, in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. , 14:D - Chong is the only member of the Caribbean island’s 26-man squad who was born there; every other player was born in the Netherlands. , 15:C - Norway’s 3-2 overtime win over Canada earned them a bronze medal; their previous best result was fourth place in 1951. Finland beat Switzerland 1-0 in the final to win gold., 16:B - The team’s flight was diverted to Brindisi and, while accommodation was found for players, Wilkinson and her backroom team toughed it out at the airport.

Scores

  1. 1 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

  2. 2 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

  3. 3 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

  4. 4 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

  5. 5 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

  6. 6 and above.

    Not bad. Not bad at all.

  7. 7 and above.

    Not bad. Not bad at all.

  8. 8 and above.

    That is a fine score. Well played. Have a good weekend

  9. 9 and above.

    That is a fine score. Well played. Have a good weekend

  10. 10 and above.

    That is a fine score. Well played. Have a good weekend

  11. 11 and above.

    That is a fine score. Well played. Have a good weekend

  12. 12 and above.

    That is a superb score. Well played. Have a great weekend

  13. 13 and above.

    That is a superb score. Well played. Have a great weekend

  14. 14 and above.

    That is a superb score. Well played. Have a great weekend

  15. 15 and above.

    That is a superb score. Well played. Have a great weekend

  16. 0 and above.

    Ah well. Better luck next week

  17. 16 and above.

    That is a superb score. Well played. Have a great weekend