Key sporting dates in 2013

After such a momentous 2012 with the Olympics and Paralympics, European Championship and the Ryder Cup to name but a few highlights, you could be forgiven for thinking this year will be rather quiet on the sporting front.

But you'd be wrong - here BBC Sport picks out some of the key sporting dates still to come in 2013.

JUNE

1 June-6 July: British and Irish Lions tour

The British and Irish Lions  will play nine matches, including three Tests, during their tour of Australia plus a game against Barbarians in Hong Kong en route. The Lions last toured Australia in 2001, with the Wallabies winning a hard-fought series 2-1 after the tourists had won the opening Test - featuring a memorable try from Brian O'Driscoll - in Brisbane.

6-23: ICC Champions Trophy

England and Wales will host the three-week 50-over tournament featuring the top eight one-day sides in world cricket. Australia are the current holders, having beaten New Zealand by six wickets in the 2009 final in South Africa. The final of 2013 trophy will be held at Edgbaston  and is likely to be the final staging of the tournament as the ICC is set to scrap it in favour of a World Test Championship.

18-22: Royal Ascot

Top racing action mixes with high fashion at the five-day meeting which features some of the top equine stars from around the world. The 2011 meeting's highlights included victories for the unbeaten champion Frankel and Australian mare Black Caviar.

24 June-7 July: Wimbledon

The 127th Championships  are likely to be dominated by a familiar theme - can a Briton win Wimbledon? Hopes will be higher than at any time since Fred Perry's 1936 victory after Andy Murray made it all the way to the final last year, but Roger Federer proved too strong then and will be determined to win an incredible eighth title in 2013. Serena Williams is not far behind on five, and currently more dominant than the Swiss. British fans did have success to savour in 2012 when Jonny Marray and Dane Freddie Nielsen took the men's doubles title.

British Grand Prix - Jenson Button

McLaren's Jenson Button should be in contention for the British Grand Prix in June

29 June-21 July: Tour de France

The 100th Tour de France  will be made up of 21 stages, covering a total distance of 2,088 miles. After dropping by Corsica, the Tour de France will be able to claim it has visited all of France and 2012 winner Bradley Wiggins will once again be seeking control of the yellow jersey early on. He will face stiff competition from fellow Brit Chris Froome, as well as Spaniard Alberto Contador and Australian Cadel Evans.

30 June: British Grand Prix

Much of the 2012 British Grand Prix  was overshadowed by the poor weather, but the 2013 race has been brought forward from its traditional July date to the last weekend of June - and a change in date might bring with it better luck on the weather front. Red Bull's Mark Webber won in 2012 and the Australian will likely be a contender once again, along with team-mate and reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel. But this is the race Formula 1's British contingent always want to win, so McLaren's Jenson Button should be in contention, and if Mercedes can provide Lewis Hamilton with the right car, the 2008 world champion has to be in with a shout.

JULY

10-29: Women's 2013 European Championships

The BBC will show all of England's European Women's Championship  games next summer. England's matches, as well as both semi-finals and the final, will be shown on BBC Two and BBC Three. The tournament will be held in Sweden, with England facing France, Russia and Spain in the group stages after Hope Powell's side secured their place at the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Croatia in September.

The Ashes - July

England will be hoping to hold onto the famous Ashes urn after winning the last two series

10 July-25 August: The Ashes

England will host Australia in the Ashes series in July and August. The sides will contest five Test matches  at Trent Bridge, Lord's, Old Trafford, Chester-le-Street and The Oval. England hold the famous urn after winning the last two series.

18-21: The Open

Ernie Els will defend his Open title at Muirfield in East Lothian, Scotland. Els lifted his second Claret Jug and fourth major title after Australian Adam Scott's infamous collapse with four bogeys in the last four holes to lose by one at Royal Lytham in 2012. The 142nd Open Championship  will be the 16th to be held at Muirfield. In a neat twist, Els was the winner the last time the famous links hosted the year's third major, in 2002.

20-28: IPC Athletics World Championships

After the excitement of last summer's Paralympic Games, the next stop for the world's best Paralympic athletes will be the French city of Lyon  . The likes of London gold medallists David Weir, Jonnie Peacock and Hannah Cockcroft will be hoping to add to their list of honours while new Paralympic head coach Paula Dunn will be aiming to continue on the good work of her predecessor Peter Eriksson, who is now in charge of the Olympic programme.

26-28 July: London 2012 Anniversary Games

A year after London 2012 opened, the anniversary games take place at the Olympic Stadium. The event will double as the 2013 London Grand Prix, which usually takes place at Crystal Palace, and will be held on the anniversary weekend of the opening ceremony of London 2012 . Jessica Ennis who won the heptathlon at last year's Olympics, appears along with fellow British gold medallists Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah .

AUGUST

10-18: Athletics World Championships

Russian capital Moscow will host the 14th Athletics World Championships  and many of the stars of 2012 will be on show in their first major tournament since the London Olympics.

26 August-8 September: US Open

Andy Murray achieved the seemingly impossible at Flushing Meadows in New York  in 2012, when he won his first major title and ended Britain's 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam singles champion. The Scot has always liked the atmosphere and the courts in New York, and will be well fancied to defend his title. However, the familiar trio of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will provide a daunting obstacle. Serena Williams always creates headlines at this event, both good and bad, but will be hard to stop in pursuit of a fifth title.

SEPTEMBER

1: British MotoGP

The 2013 British MotoGP moves from its traditional summer slot in June to September to host round 13 of the World Championship. Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo took the spoils at the Northamptonshire-based circuit in 2012 on the way to his second title. The field will feature and all-British line up at Tech 3 Yamaha of Cal Crutchlow, who is searching for his first MotoGP victory, and Bradley Smith, who is in his debut season in the premier series.

29: NFL International Series

British NFL fans are in for a treat this year because, for the first time, Wembley will host two regular season games. In the first, the Minnesota Vikings "host" the Pittsburgh Steelers.

OCTOBER

Rugby World Cup - Kevin Sinfield

England have the advantage of being on home soil again for the Rugby League World Cup

26 October-30 November: Rugby League World Cup

Australia, being the dominant force in world rugby league  , once again start favourites, having won nine of the 13 tournaments staged since it first evolved in 1954. But New Zealand should not be discounted after shocking the Aussies 34-20 to win the competition for the first time in 2008, while England have the advantage of being on home soil again. With young talent like Sam Tomkins, Ryan Hall, Josh Charnley and Zak Hardaker blended in with the older heads of James Roby and Kevin Sinfield, there is no reason why Steve McNamara's men cannot make a push for the final at Old Trafford on 30 November.

27: NFL International Series

The defending NFC champions the San Francisco 49ers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley.

NOVEMBER

4: ATP World Tour Finals

Novak Djokovic put a firm stamp on his position as world number one with victory at London's o2 Arena in 2012 and it is likely to have a large bearing on the year-end rankings once again, with the battle for top spot so tight. Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have yet to add winning the season finale to their list of achievements, while Roger Federer is the most successful player in the event's history with six victories. But will anyone else break through during 2013 to challenge at the end of the season? 

28 November-January 2014: The Ashes

England will travel to Australia for the return Ashes series between November 2013 and January 2014. The Tests are being held at Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. England won the last series Down Under 3-1 in 2010-11, their first triumph on Australian soil for 24 years.