College championship
College football national championship – Princeton TigersProfessional championships
Western Pennsylvania champions – Allegheny Athletic AssociationEngland
The Football League – Aston Villa 45 points, Derby County 41, Everton 39, Bolton Wanderers 37, Sunderland 37, Stoke FC 30FA Cup final – The Wednesday 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers at Crystal Palace, London.Scotland
Scottish Football League – CelticScottish Cup final – Hearts 3–1 Hibernian at Logie GreenNational championship
Baltimore Orioles win the third of three successive National League championshipsEvents
Temple Cup – Baltimore Orioles 4–0 Cleveland SpidersLineal world champions
World Heavyweight Championship – James J. CorbettWorld Middleweight Championship – title vacantWorld Welterweight Championship – Tommy RyanWorld Lightweight Championship – vacant → George "Kid" LavigneWorld Featherweight Championship – George DixonWorld Bantamweight Championship – Jimmy BarryEvents
England retain The Ashes, defeating Australia 2–1 in a three-match series. In a low-scoring decider at The Oval, England win by 66 runs.England
County Championship – YorkshireMinor Counties Championship – WorcestershireMost runs – K S Ranjitsinhji 2780 @ 57.91 (HS 171*)Most wickets – J T Hearne 257 @ 14.28 (BB 9–73)Wisden Five Cricketers of the Season – Syd Gregory, Dick Lilley, K S Ranjitsinhji, Tom Richardson, Hugh TrumbleAustralia
Sheffield Shield – New South WalesMost runs – Harry Donnan 626 @ 69.55 (HS 160)Most wickets – Tom McKibbin 46 @ 23.86 (BB 8–93)India
Bombay Presidency – Europeans shared with ParseesSouth Africa
Currie Cup – not contestedWest Indies
Inter-Colonial Tournament – not contestedEvents
Inaugural World Figure Skating Championships (open to men only) is held in Saint PetersburgWorld Figure Skating Championships
World Men's Champion – Gilbert Fuchs (Germany)Major tournaments
British Open – Harry Vardon (the first of Vardon's six British Open titles)U.S. Open – James FoulisOther tournaments
British Amateur – Freddie TaitUS Amateur – H. J. WhighamEngland
Grand National – The Soarer1,000 Guineas Stakes – Thais2,000 Guineas Stakes – St. FrusquinEpsom Derby – PersimmonEpsom Oaks – Canterbury PilgrimSt. Leger Stakes – PersimmonAustralia
Melbourne Cup – NewhavenCanada
Queen's Plate – MillbrookIreland
Irish Grand National – Royston CrowIrish Derby Stakes – GulsalberkUSA
Kentucky Derby – Lieut. GibsonPreakness Stakes – MargraveBelmont Stakes – Hastings14 February — the Winnipeg Victorias defeat the Montreal Victorias 2–0 in a challenge match to win the 1896 Stanley Cup championship7 March — the Montreal Victorias are the 1896 AHAC season champions.March — Queen's University defeats Stratford, Ontario 12–3 to win the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) title. The club does not challenge Winnipeg.17 November — the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, which later became the first ice hockey league to openly trade and hire players, began play at Pittsburgh's Schenley Park Casino.17 December — the Schenley Park Casino, which was the first multi-purpose arena with the technology to create an artificial ice surface in North America as well as the home to the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, was destroyed in a fire.30 December — the Montreal Victorias defeat the Winnipeg Victorias 6–5 in a challenge match to regain the Stanley CupParis-Marseille-Paris Trail
The 1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris Trail is held over 1710 km from 24 September to 3 October and won by Émile Mayade driving a Panhard-Levassor 8 hp model in a time of 67:42:58. The race is in retrospect sometimes referred to as the II Grand Prix de l'ACF.1896 Summer Olympics
The 1896 Summer Olympics, the first modern Games, takes place in Athens with 13 nations competing, the most competitors coming from Greece, Germany and France.16 April — American James Connolly wins the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in over 1,500 years.Winners receive a silver medal and a crown of olive branches; Greece wins the most medals (46) and the United States wins the most gold medals (11).The Boat Race
28 March — Oxford wins the 53rd Oxford and Cambridge Boat RaceThere is no Harvard–Yale Regatta during "a breakdown in relations between the two schools". From the third Race in 1859, the only exceptions outside major wars are 1871 and 1896.Events
In the 1895–96 Northern Rugby Football Union season's final match, Manningham defeats Halifax to claim the inaugural Rugby Football League Championship.The inaugural Rugby League Challenge Cup competition begins in the 1896–97 season.England
Championship – ManninghamLancashire League Championship – RuncornYorkshire League Championship – ManninghamHome Nations Championship
14th Home Nations Championship series is won by IrelandThe foundation of the Ski-Club of Grenoble by Henry Duhamel.Speed Skating World Championships
Men's All-round Champion – Jaap Eden (Netherlands)England
Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Harold Mahony (Ireland) defeats Wilfred Baddeley (GB) 6–2 6–8 5–7 8–6 6–3Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Charlotte Cooper Sterry (GB) defeats Alice Simpson-Pickering (GB) 6–2 6–3France
French Men's Singles Championship – André Vacherot defeats Gérard Brosselin 6–1 7–5USA
American Men's Singles Championship – Robert Wrenn defeats Fred Hovey 7–5 3–6 6–0 1–6 6–1American Women's Singles Championship – Elisabeth Moore defeats Juliette Atkinson 6–4 4–6 6–2 6–2