FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
Inaugural FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are held at Mürren, Switzerland. The events are a downhill and a slalom race in both the men's and women's categories. The winners are:
Men's Downhill – Walter Prager (Switzerland)
Men's Slalom – David Zogg (Switzerland)
Women's Downhill – Esme Mackinnon (Great Britain)
Women's Slalom – Esme Mackinnon (Great Britain)
Green Bay Packers win the NFL title with a 13–2 record
Rose Bowl (1930 season):
The Alabama Crimson Tide won 24-0 over the Washington State Cougars to share the college football national championship
England
The Football League – Arsenal 66 points, Aston Villa 59, Sheffield Wednesday 52, Portsmouth 49, Huddersfield Town 48, Derby County 46
FA Cup final – West Bromwich Albion 2–1 Birmingham City at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London
Germany
National Championship – Hertha BSC 3–2 TSV 1860 München at Köln
Spain
La Liga won by Athletic Bilbao
Italy
Serie A won by Juventus
Brazil
Foundation of Botafogo Rio
May 9: Richmond beat South Melbourne’s 12 year record for the highest score when they kick 30.19 (199) to North Melbourne’s 4.7 (31). Doug Strang, in his second game, and Jack Titus kick 22 goals between them – still an equal record for two players on one side.
VFL Premiership
Geelong wins the 35th VFL Premiership: defeating Richmond 9.14 (68) to 7.6 (48) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
The annual Brownlow Medal is awarded to Haydn Bunton senior (Fitzroy)
South Australian National Football League
3 October: North Adelaide 17.13 (115) defeat Sturt 11.11 (77) to win their sixth SANFL premiership.
Magarey Medal won by Jack Sexton (West Adelaide)
Western Australian National Football League
1 June: East Fremantle’s 4.28 (52) against South Fremantle’s 5.8 (38) is the second most inaccurate score in WA(N)FL history by excess of behinds over goals and the most until 1957.
17 October: East Fremantle win their fourth consecutive WA(N)FL premiership, beating Subiaco 9.13 (67) to 7.7 (49) in the 1931 WANFL Grand Final.
Sandover Medal won by Lin Richards (East Fremantle)
Bandy
Sweden
Championship final – AIK 4–3 IF Karlstad-Göta
World Series
1–10 October — St. Louis Cardinals (NL) defeats Philadelphia Athletics (AL) to win the 1931 World Series by four games to three
Major League Baseball
MVP awards to Frankie Frisch (NL) and Lefty Grove (AL)
Negro League Baseball
The Negro National League disbands. St. Louis Stars win the last championship.
ABL Championship
Brooklyn Visitations win four games to two over the Fort Wayne Hoosiers
College Championship
Northwestern University wins the men's college basketball title
Events
The ABL suspends operations after the 1930–1931 season. This is also the last year it operates as a major professional league.
Bobsleigh World Championships
2nd FIBT World Championships 1931 are held in Oberhof, Germany (two-man bob) and St Moritz, Switzerland (four-man bob). Both gold medals are won by Germany.
Events
World Middleweight Champion Mickey Walker vacates his title to campaign as a heavyweight. The middleweight championship remains vacant until 1941.
Lineal world champions
World Heavyweight Championship – Max Schmeling
World Light Heavyweight Championship – Maxie Rosenbloom
World Middleweight Championship – Mickey Walker → vacant
World Welterweight Championship – Tommy Freeman → "Young" Jack Thompson → Lou Brouillard
World Lightweight Championship – Tony Canzoneri
World Featherweight Championship – Bat Battalino
World Bantamweight Championship – Panama Al Brown
World Flyweight Championship – vacant
Grey Cup
19th Grey Cup in the Canadian Football League – Montreal AAA defeats Regina Roughriders 22–0
Events
New Zealand plays its first Test series in England. England wins the series 1–0 with two matches drawn.
England
County Championship – Yorkshire
Minor Counties Championship – Leicestershire II
Most runs – Herbert Sutcliffe 3006 @ 96.96 (HS 230)
Most wickets – Tich Freeman 276 @ 15.60 (BB 10–79)
Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Bill Bowes, Stewie Dempster, James Langridge, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, Hedley Verity
Australia
Sheffield Shield – Victoria
Most runs – Don Bradman 1422 @ 79.00 (HS 258)
Most wickets – Clarrie Grimmett 74 @ 19.14 (BB 7–87)
India
Bombay Quadrangular – not contested
New Zealand
Plunket Shield – Canterbury
South Africa
Currie Cup – not contested
West Indies
Inter-Colonial Tournament – not contested
Tour de France
Antonin Magne (France) wins the 25th Tour de France
Other events
Giro d'Italia is won by Francesco Camusso (Italy)
World Cycling Championship is won by Learco Guerra (Italy)
World Figure Skating Championships
World Men's Champion – Karl Schäfer (Austria)
World Women's Champion – Sonja Henie (Norway)
World Pairs Champions – Emília Rotter and László Szollás (Hungary)
Major tournaments
British Open – Tommy Armour
U.S. Open – Billy Burke
PGA Championship – Tom Creavy
Other tournaments
British Amateur – Eric Martin-Smith
U.S. Amateur – Francis Ouimet
Women's Western Open – June Beebe
USA
Hambletonian – Calumet Butler
Kentucky Futurity – The Protector
England
Champion Hurdle – not contested due to frost
Cheltenham Gold Cup – not contested due to frost
Grand National – Grakle
1,000 Guineas Stakes – Four Course
2,000 Guineas Stakes – Cameronian
Epsom Derby – Cameronian
Epsom Oaks – Brulette
St. Leger Stakes – Sandwich
Australia
Melbourne Cup – White Nose
Canada
Queen's Plate – Froth Blower
France
Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Pearl Cap
Ireland
Irish Grand National – Impudent Barney
Irish Derby Stakes – Sea Serpent
USA
Kentucky Derby – Twenty Grand
Preakness Stakes – Mate
Belmont Stakes – Twenty Grand
Stanley Cup
Montreal Canadiens defeats Chicago Black Hawks by 3 games to 2
Ice Hockey World Championships
Gold Medal – Canada
Silver Medal – United States
Bronze Medal – Austria
Other events
Hockey Night in Canada, now the oldest sports-related television program still on air, debuts as a radio program known as the General Motors Hockey Broadcast. The TV series begins in 1952.
Grand Prix racing
The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) introduces a European Championship for Grand Prix drivers on a points system. The first winner is Ferdinando Minoia (Italy), driving for Alfa Romeo in its 8C-2300 and 6C-1750 models, even though he does not win a race.
19 April — the 3rd Monaco Grand Prix is run at Monte Carlo. The winner is Louis Chiron (Monaco) in a Bugatti T51. He covers 318 km (198 mi) (100 laps) in 3:39:09.2.
24 May — the 9th Italian Grand Prix is run at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The winners are Giuseppe Campari and Tazio Nuvolari (both Italy), sharing an Alfa Romeo 8C2300. The race is 10 hours, covering 1,550.03 kilometres (963.14 mi) (155 laps). It is officially titled the IX Gran Premio d'Italia and is given the honorary designation of European Grand Prix.
21 June — the 17th French Grand Prix, organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), is run at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry. The race is 10 hours, covering 1,268.825 km (788.411 mi) (101 laps). The winners are Louis Chiron (Monaco) and Achille Varzi (Italy), sharing a Bugatti T51. The race is retrospectively referred to as the XXV Grand Prix de l'ACF.
12 July — the 3rd Belgian Grand Prix is run at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The race is 10 hours, covering 1,320.399 km (820.458 mi) (88 laps). The winners are William Grover-Williams (Great Britain) and Caberto Conelli (Italy), sharing a Bugatti T51.
Indianapolis 500
30 May — 19th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is won by Louis Schneider (USA) in the Bowes Seal Fast Special Stevens-Miller in 5:10:27.93.
Le Mans 24 hours
The 9th Le Mans 24 hours race is won by Earl Howe and Tim Birkin (both Great Britain) driving an Alfa Romeo 8C2300. They cover 184 laps (3,017.654 km (1,875.083 mi)).
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
6th FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1931 are held at Oberhof, Germany
The Boat Race
21 March — Cambridge wins the 83rd Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
England
Championship – Swinton
Challenge Cup final – Halifax 22–8 York at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London
Lancashire League Championship – Swinton
Yorkshire League Championship – Leeds
Lancashire Cup – St Helens Recs 18–3 Wigan
Yorkshire Cup – Leeds 10–2 Huddersfield
Australia
NSW Premiership – South Sydney 12–7 Eastern Suburbs
Five Nations Championship
44th Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales
Shortly after the 1931 Five Nations Championship is completed, France is banned from the competition due to allegations of professionalism and administrative deficiencies. France will be readmitted after the 1939 competition but will not be able to play until 1947 because of the suspension of international rugby during World War II. In the meantime, the competition reverts to its original title of Home Nations Championship.
World Championship
5th World Snooker Championship is won by Joe Davis who defeats Tom Dennis 25–21
Speed Skating World Championships
Men's All-round Champion – Clas Thunberg (Finland)
Australia
Australian Men's Singles Championship – Jack Crawford (Australia) defeats Harry Hopman (Australia) 6–4 6–2 2–6 6–1
Australian Women's Singles Championship – Coral Buttsworth (Australia) defeats Marjorie Cox Crawford (Australia) 1–6 6–3 6–4
England
Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Sidney Wood (USA) by a walkover after Frank Shields (USA) withdraws from the final due to an ankle injury
Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Cilly Aussem (Germany) defeats Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling (Germany) 6–2 7–5
France
French Men's Singles Championship – Jean Borotra (France) defeats Christian Boussus (USA) 2–6 6–4 7–5 6–4
French Women's Singles Championship – Cilly Aussem (Germany) defeats Betty Nuthall (Great Britain) 8–6 6–1
USA
American Men's Singles Championship – Ellsworth Vines (USA) defeats George Lott (USA) 7–9 6–3 9–7 7–5
American Women's Singles Championship – Helen Wills Moody (USA) defeats Eileen Bennett Whittingstall (Great Britain) 6–4 6–1
Davis Cup
1931 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – France 3–2 Great Britain at Stade Roland Garros (clay) Paris, France
Associated Press Athlete of the Year
Inauguration of the Athlete of the Year award in the United States by the Associated Press (AP). The AP offers a male and a female athlete of the year award to either a professional or amateur athlete, the awards being voted on annually by a panel of AP sports editors from across the United States. The first winners are:
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Pepper Martin (baseball)
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Helene Madison (swimming)
