Looking Ahead

Bastille Day

Recently elected French President François Hollande on July 14 will preside over his first Bastille Day parade since taking office in May. The military parade down the Champs-Elysées comes at a time when Hollande, the first socialist elected since François Mitterand, is trying to balance France's budget and put France on a more equal footing with Germany.

Calgary Stampede

The annual rodeo that earns Calgary the title of Canada's cowtown celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The Calgary Stampede has become one of the largest rodeos in the world. The 10-day event, which ends July 15, features normal rodeo events, as well as chuckwagon racing, concerts, and livestock shows to amuse its more than 1 million patrons.

British Open

If golfer Tiger Woods is to catch Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 career major championships, this year's British Open, beginning July 15, represents one of a dwindling number of opportunities. This year's Open Championship will be played at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, where Woods, who has won 14 majors, has had little success.

Ramadan begins

Ramadan, the Islamic holy month that features a sunrise-to-sundown fast for each of its 30 days, begins July 20. And this year, that could present problems for Muslim Olympic athletes competing at the Summer Games in London. Many expect Muslim athletes to request exemptions from Islamic clerics in order to compete on a full stomach and without fear of dehydration.

National Junior Olympics

The 46th USA Track and Field National Junior Olympics begin on July 23, just days before the Summer Olympic Games open in London. The week-long event-held at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md.- will feature young athletes between the ages of 7 and 18 who excelled in track and field events at preliminary, association, and regional levels.