Infostrada Sports’ Databox – January 2005  

Internazionale Milan (Inter Milan) football club

> Inter were founded in 1908, the same year that marked the birth of Anderlecht, Feyenoord and Panathinaikos.
> Inter have won the Fairs Cup/UEFA Cup three times, marking a record they share with four other clubs.
> Inter were also the first Italian club to win back-to-back Champions Cup trophies in 1964 and 1965.
> The nerazzurri won the last of their 13 Italian league titles in 1988/1989, when Giovanni Trapattoni was coach.
> Inter are making their fourth Champions League appearance in 2004-05. The semis (2003) are their best finish yet.

Source: EMPICS

Sydney 2000 Olympics

> Sydney marked the first edition of the Olympic Games to feature at least 300 medal events.
> In Sydney, Barbados, FYR Macedonia, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam won their first ever medal.
> Swimmer Ian Thorpe was the most successful participant in Sydney winning three golds and two silver medals.
> Cathy Freeman is the only individual to have lit the Olympic cauldron and won a gold medal in the same Games.
> In Sydney, Steve Redgrave became only the third individual to have won gold in five successive Olympics.

Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics

> The USA became the first nation to have hosted the Olympic Winter Games on four occasions.
> China won its first Winter Olympic Gold, having won 14 medals of another kind coming into Salt Lake City.
> Canada won its first Olympic Ice Hockey Gold since 1952 by seeing off the hosts USA in the final.
> The three gold medals and a silver by Janica Kostelic marked the best performance by an Alpine Skier in one Games.
> Skeleton was reintroduced after a 52-year absence.

Athens 2004 Olympics

> Athens joined, Paris, London and Los Angeles as the only cities to have hosted the Olympic Summer Games twice.
> The USA led the nations medal table for the third time in succession at the Summer Games.
> Swimmer Michael Phelps' eight medals tied the Olympic record for most medals in a single edition.
> Fellow Swimmer Petria Thomas was the most successful female participant winning three golds and a silver.
> Mexico (1968) and Canada (1976) were the only host nations with a smaller medal total than Greece's 16 in 2004.

South Africa versus England International Cricket

> England's victory in the First Test in December 2004 was the team’s eighth in succession, a national record.
> The best ever winning streak was 16 set by Australia between 1999 and 2001.
> It also meant that England player Andrew Strauss had only played in Test victories up to this point.
> England's victory was its 53rd against South Africa.
> The draw in the Second Test left England as the only Test team unbeaten in 2004.
> The 273 opening partnership for England in the second innings was its biggest since 1948.
> After 13 Test matches without defeat, England lost its first match of 2005 in the Third Test.
> Andrew Strauss became the fourth fastest player for England to score 1,000 Test runs in the Third Test.
> South Africa's win was their 26th Test match victory against England.
> The final two Test matches of the series will begin on Thursday, 13 January and Friday, 21 January.

This article was seen first by people who receive the monthly newsletter, join them.