January 1, 1997
EuroBasket 1997 — 1997 edition of the Eurobasket
1997 World Women's Handball Championship — 1997 edition of the World Women's Handball Championship
1997 World Men's Handball Championship — 1997 edition of the World Men's Handball Championship
UEFA Women's Euro 1997 — 1997 edition of the UEFA Women's Euro
1997–98 UEFA Cup — 27th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA
Eurovision Song Contest 1997 — 42nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest
1997 Formula One World Championship — sports season
1997 Copa América — 1997 edition of the Copa América association football competition
1997 Asian financial crisis — financial crisis in many East/Southeast Asian countries starting in 1997
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship — 11th FIFA U-20 World Cup