2013 will not have an Olympics. Neither will there be a major International soccer tournament or a Rugby World Cup.  In that sense it may seem pale by comparison to 2012 but sport always has the capacity to thrill and inspire, whether before the cameras of the world or on a local pitch side.  There are plenty of major events featuring Irish sport at home and abroad, and creating opportunities for Irish business, and we will feature them all in the coming twelve months.
As the year begins though it is worth casting an eye over some questions that will be answered, some for good, some not so in the course of the next twelve months.
1. How will the next TV contract for the GAA be negotiated?
2013 is the third of a three year contract and negotiations are already underway for a successor in 2014.  RTE and TV3 will almost certainly feature ahead of cable and satellite broadcasts for whom the audience may be too national rather than international to merit an investment.
That said, the world of digital broadcasting is a different place than it was three years ago and international, online and mobile rights packages will be interesting to watch.
2. Will Irish dominance in European Rugby survive?
When Dublin was awarded the finals of the 2013 Amlin and Heineken Cups there would have been high hopes for two Irish provinces to compete, as they did in 2012. Dips in form though mean this may be more optimistic than will prove to be the case and negotiations on the future of European Rugby will have to be resolved, most likely in a lessening of the Celtic Nations easier path to qualification.
Irish Rugby remains strong but it will face a major challenge to maintain its dominance in Europe.  The irony could be that the domestic game though will strengthen as a result of having to become more competitive.
3. Can the Paralympic surge be maintained?
The team at Paralympics Ireland have worked wonders in the run up to London 2012 in terms of bringing commercial supporters on board.  The competitors added to the achievement of Paralympic sport and would for many have provided Ireland’s best sports team achievement of the year.
Thoughts now turn to Rio and 2016 but that is a long road and the current lack of recognisable major international multi sport tournaments in Paralympic sport will not make the task of encouraging fresh investment any easier.
That said, nothing is impossible and the spirit of 2012 will carry a longer tail for the Paralympians than for many others.
Join us again on Monday when we will look at three more issues for 2013 concerning Horseracing, Women’s Sport and the inexorable move towards mobile.