1991 in sports

Boxing

• 3 March – Mike Tyson defeats Donovan Ruddock in a seventh-round TKO
• 19 April –
  IBF
  Heavyweight titles
• 7 to 12 May – 29th European Amateur Boxing Championships held in Gothenburg, Sweden
• 3 June –
  Light Heavyweight
  title
• 1 June at Palm Springs, California – Terry Norris knocked out Donald Curry in the 8th Round to win the WBC Super Welterweight Championship.
• 28 June Mike Tyson defeats Donovan Ruddock in a rematch with a 12-round unanimous decision
• 2 to 18 August – Pan American Games held in Havana, Cuba.
• 5 October –
  IBF
  Middleweight title
• Ring Magazine fighter of the year

Canadian football

• Grey Cup – Toronto Argonauts win 36–21 over the Calgary Stampeders
• CFL Most Outstanding Player
• Vanier Cup – Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks win 25–18 over the Mount Allison Mounties

Cricket

• South Africa readmitted to the International Cricket Council following the abolition of apartheid, and play their first international game since 1970.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Franco Chioccioli of Italy
• Miguel Indurain
  of Spain
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Gianni Bugno of Italy

Dogsled racing

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
  • Rick Swenson won with lead dog: Goose

Field hockey

• Men's Champions Trophy: Germany
• Women's Champions Trophy: Australia

Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships –
  • Men's champion: Kurt Browning, Canada
  • Ladies' champion: Kristi Yamaguchi, United States
  • Pair skating champions:
    Natalia Mishkutenok & Artur Dmitriev
    , Soviet Union
  • Ice dancing champions: Isabelle Duchesnay & Paul Duchesnay, France

Golf

Men's professional

• Master – Ian Woosnam
• U.S. Open – Payne Stewart
• British Open – Ian Baker-Finch
• PGA Championship – John Daly
• PGA Tour money leader – Corey Pavin – $979,430
• Senior PGA Tour money leader – Mike Hill
  – $1,065,657
• Ryder Cup – United States team won 14½ – 13½ over the Europe in team golf.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur – Gary Wolstenholme
• U.S. Amateur – Mitch Voges
• European Amateur – Jim Payne
• U.S. Junior Amateur
  .

Women's professional

• Nabisco Dinah Shore – Amy Alcott
• LPGA Championship – Meg Mallon
• U.S. Women's Open – Meg Mallon
• Classique du Maurier – Nancy Scranton
• LPGA Tour money leader – Pat Bradley – $763,118

Harness racing

• North America Cup – Precious Bunny
• United States Pacing Triple Crown races
  –
  1. Cane Pace – Silky Stallone
  2. Little Brown Jug – Precious Bunny
  3. Messenger Stakes – Die Laughing
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races
  –
  1. Hambletonian – Giant Victory
  2. Yonkers Trot – Crown's Invitation
  3. Kentucky Futurity – Whiteland Janice
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship
  –
  • Pacers: Mark Ranover
  • Trotters: Fraggle Rock

Horse racing

Steeplechases

• Garrison Savannah
• Grand National – Seagram

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Let's Elope
• Canadian Triple Crown Races:
  1. Queen's Plate – Dance Smartly
  2. Prince of Wales Stakes – Dance Smartly
  3. Breeders' Stakes – Dance Smartly
  • Dance Smartly becomes the country's third consecutive Triple Crown winner.
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Suave Dancer
• Ireland –
  Irish Derby Stakes won by Generous
• Japan – Japan Cup won by Golden Pheasant
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Mystiko
  2. The Derby – Generous^[2]
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Toulon
• United States Triple Crown Races
  :
  1. Kentucky Derby – Strike the Gold
  2. Preakness Stakes – Hansel
  3. Belmont Stakes – Hansel
• Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
  1. Breeders' Cup Classic – Black Tie Affair
  2. Breeders' Cup Distaff – Dance Smartly
  3. Breeders' Cup Juvenile – Arazi
  4. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies – Pleasant Stage
  5. Breeders' Cup Mile – Opening Verse
  6. Breeders' Cup Sprint – Sheikh Albadou
  7. Breeders' Cup Turf – Miss Alleged

Ice hockey

• Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues
• Stanley Cup
  • Pittsburgh Penguins win 4 games to 2 over the Minnesota North Stars
• Conn Smythe Trophy – Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Sweden defeated Canada
  • Junior Men's champion: Canada defeated the USSR
• Sheffield Steelers formed
• San Jose Sharks formed
• Northern Michigan University wins the NCAA Division I title in hockey, 8–7 in the third overtime against Boston University.

Lacrosse

• The Detroit Turbos defeat the Baltimore Thunder to win the Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship

Motorsport

Radiosport

• The Friendship Radiosport Games held in
  Amateur Radio Direction Finding
  competition held in the Americas.
• Third European
  High Speed Telegraphy Championship held in Neerpelt
  , Belgium.

• Penrith Panthers defeat two-time defending premiers Canberra Raiders in the New South Wales Rugby League Grand Final at the Sydney Football Stadium. It is Penrith's first premiership since their admission in 1967.
• Wigan retained their title in the English Rugby League competition, with Oldham, Sheffield Eagles and Rochdale Hornets being relegated. To date this is Rochdale's last appearance in the top flight.

Rugby Union

• 97th Five Nations Championship series is won by England who complete the Grand Slam
• Australia wins the 1991 Rugby World Cup

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship – John Parrott beats Jimmy White 18–11
• world number one
  for 1991/92

Swimming

• The sixth FINA World Championships, held in Perth, Australia (3 January – 13)
• Eleventh Pan American Games held in Havana, Cuba (12–18 August)
• 20th
  European LC Championships, held in Athens
  , Greece (18–25 August)
• Fourth Pan Pacific Championships, held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (22–25 August)
• First
  European Sprint Championships, held in Gelsenkirchen
  , Germany (6–8 December)
• 13 December –
  world record in the men's 50m freestyle (short course) in Sheffield
  , United Kingdom, clocking 25.64.

• World Championships held in Athens, Greece

Tennis

• 20 June – death of Michael Westphal (26), German player
• Grand Slam in tennis
  men's results:
  1. Australian Open – Boris Becker
  2. French Open – Jim Courier
  3. Wimbledon championships – Michael Stich
  4. U.S. Open – Stefan Edberg
• Grand Slam in tennis
  women's results:
  1. Australian Open – Monica Seles
  2. French Open – Monica Seles
  3. Wimbledon championships – Steffi Graf
  4. U.S. Open – Monica Seles
• Davis Cup – France won 3–1 over the United States in world tennis.

Triathlon

• ITU World Championships held in Gold Coast, Queensland
• ITU World Cup (eleven races) started in the United States Virgin Islands and ended in Mexico
• ETU European Championships held in Geneva, Switzerland

Volleyball

Men's competition

• FIVB World League: Italy
• Asia Volleyball Championship: Japan
• Men's European Volleyball Championship: USSR
• Pan American Games: Cuba

Women's competition

• Asia Volleyball Championship: China
• Women's European Volleyball Championship: USSR
• Pan American Games: Cuba

Water polo

• FINA Men's World Water Polo Championship: USA
• FINA Women's World Water Polo Championship: Netherlands

Multi-sport events

• Eleventh Pan American Games held in Havana, Cuba^[3]
• Fifth All-Africa Games held in Cairo, Egypt
• Eleventh Mediterranean Games held in Athens, Greece
• Sixteenth Summer Universiade held in Sheffield, United Kingdom
• Fifteenth Winter Universiade held in Sapporo, Japan
• Sixteenth
  Southeast Asian Games held in Manila
  , Philippines

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Michael Jordan, NBA basketball
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Monica Seles, Tennis
• Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – Michael Jordan
• Mike Powell