| content |
| Years in sports: | 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s |
| Years: | 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 |
Athletics (track and field)
Indoor Competition
- March 6 — Tom O'Hara sets a new world record for the indoor mile run by completing it in 3 minutes and 56.4 seconds.
Marathon
- December 6 —
Fukuoka Marathon, Japan
- Men's Winner: Toru Terasawa (JPN) 2:14:49
Auto Racing
- Stock car racing:
- Richard Petty won the Daytona 400 on February 23
- NASCAR Championship - Richard Petty
- Indianapolis 500 - A.J. Foyt
- USAC Racing - A.J. Foyt won the season championship
- Formula One Championship - John Surtees of Great Britain
- 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Jean Guichet / Nino Vaccarella won driving a Ferrari 275P
- Rally racing - the team of Paddy Hopkirk / Henry Liddon won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Mini Cooper S
- Drag racing - Don Garlits won the NHRA, Top Fuel Championship
Baseball
- June 21: Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a perfect game in a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets.
- World Series: St. Louis Cardinals win 4 games to 3 over the New York Yankees. The Series MVP is pitcher, Bob Gibson of St. Louis.
Basketball
- NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
- UCLA wins 97-83 over Duke
- NBA Finals|NBA Finals:
- Boston Celtics won 4 games to 1 over the San Francisco Warriors
Boxing
- February 25 in Charlotte - Cassius Clay defeated Sonny Liston by TKO in the 8th round to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
- December 14 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Joey Giardello won a 15 round decision over Rubin "Hurricane" Carter to win the World Middleweight Title.
Cycling
- Giro d'Italia won by Jacques Anquetil of France
- Tour de France - Jacques Anquetil of France
- World Cycling Championship: Jan Janssen of Netherlands
Field Hockey
- Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Tokyo, Japan
- Gold Medal: India
- Silver Medal: Pakistan
- Bronze Medal: Australia
Figure skating
- World Figure Skating Championships
- Men's champion: Manfred Schnelldorfer, Germany
- Ladies' champion: Sjoukje Dijkstra, Netherlands
- Pair skating champions: Marika Kilius & Hans-Jürgen Bäumler, Germany
- Ice dancing champions: Eva Romanová & Pavel Roman, Czechoslovakia
Football (American)
- AFL Championship:1964 - Buffalo Bills win 11-7 over the San Diego Chargers
- NFL Championship:December, 27 1964 - Cleveland Browns win 27-0 over the Baltimore Colts
W
Football (Australian rules football)
- Victorian Football League
- Melbourne wins the 68th VFL Premiership (Melbourne 8.16 (64) d Collingwood 8.12 (60))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Gordon Collis (Carlton)
Football (Canadian)
- Grey Cup: B.C. Lions win 34-24 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Football (Soccer)
-
- For an extensive coverage see 1964 in football (soccer)
- England - FA Cup: West Ham United won 3-2 over Preston North End
- Spain beat the Soviet Union 2-1 to win the European Championship.
- In October during the celebration of the 1964 Summer Olympics FIFA gives the right to host the Football World Cup in 1970 to Mexico.
Golf
Men's professional
- April 9-12 - Masters Tournament - Arnold Palmer
- June 18-20 - U.S. Open - Ken Venturi
- July 7-10 - British Open - Tony Lema
- July 16-19 - PGA Championship - Bobby Nichols
- PGA Tour money leader - Jack Nicklaus - $113,285
Men's amateur
Women's professional
- Women's Western Open - Carol Mann
- LPGA Championship - Mary Mills
- U.S. Women's Open - Mickey Wright
- Titleholders Championship - Marilynn Smith
- LPGA Tour money leader - Mickey Wright - $29,800
Thoroughbred Horse Racing
- Australia - Melbourne Cup - Polo Prince
- Canada - Queen's Plate - Northern Dancer
- France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Prince Royal
- Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Santa Claus
- United States Triple Crown Races: Northern Dancer is the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby
- May 2 - Kentucky Derby - Northern Dancer
- Preakness Stakes - Northern Dancer
- Belmont Stakes - Quadrangle(Held at Aqueduct)
Harness Racing
Ice Hockey
- Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks
- Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens
- Stanley Cup: Toronto Maple Leafs won 4-3 over the Detroit Red Wings
- World Hockey Championship:
- Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
- NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship - University of Michigan Wolverines defeat University of Denver Pioneers 6-3 in Denver, CO
Lacrosse
- The Guelph Mohawks win the first Castrol Cup.
- The Vancouver Carlings win the Mann Cup.
- The Oshawa Green Gaels win the Minto Cup.
Skiing
- Alpine Skiing
- The men's Olympic Gold Medal:
- Downhill: Egon Zimmermann, Austria
- Slalom: Josef Stiegler, Austria
- Giant Slalom: Francois Bonlieu, France
-
- The women's Olympic Gold Medal:
- Downhill: Christl Haas, Austria
- Slalom: Christine Goitschel, France
- Giant Slalom: Marielle Goitschel, France
- ISF World Championships:
- Men's combined champion: Ludwig Leitner, Germany
- Women's combined champion: Marielle Goitschel, France
Snooker
- The World Snooker Championship is revived in a challenge format:
- John Pulman beats Fred Davis 19-16
- John Pulman beats Rex Williams 40-33
Swimming
International tournaments
- XVIII Olympic Games, held in Tokyo, Japan (October 11 – October 18)
Records
- February 29 — In Sydney, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets a new world record in the women's 100m freestyle (long course) competition: 58.9 seconds.
- March 29 — Australia's Kevin Berry sets a new world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) at a meet in Sydney, clocking 2:06.9.
- July 12 — US swimmer Sharon Stouder breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) with one second, during a meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, clocking 2:28.1.
- August 2 — Sharon Stouder once again breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course), this time in Los Altos, California, clocking 2:26.4.
- October 18 — Kevin Berry breaks his own world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) on the last day of the swimming competition at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, with a time of 2:06.6.
Tennis
- Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
- Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
- Davis Cup: Australia wins 3-2 over the United States in world tennis.
Volleyball
- Summer Olympics
- Women's Team Competition
- Japan
- Soviet Union
- Poland
- Women's Team Competition
Yacht racing
- The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Constellation defeats British challenger Sovereign, of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, 4 races to 0
Multi-sport events
- 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan
- United States wins the most medals (90), and the most gold medals (36).
- This Olympic opening ceremony is first time of live Olympic telecast program by geostationary communication satellite.
- 1964 Winter Olympics held in Innsbruck, Austria
- USSR wins the most medals (25), and the most gold medals (11).
- Third Winter Universiade held in Špindlerův Mlýn, Czechoslovakia
Awards
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: Don Schollander, Swimming
- Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: Mickey Wright, LPGA golf
- ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Don Schollander, Swimming
Births
January
- January 1 — Susan Devoy, New Zealand squash player
- January 2 — Pat Sutherland, English netballer
- January 2 — Pernell Whitaker, American boxer
- January 5 — Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Spanish golfer
- January 6 — Henry Maske, German boxer
- January 6 — Richard Nerurkar, British long-distance runner
- January 6 — Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan swimmer (d. 2005)
- January 7 — Reggie de Jong, Dutch freestyle swimmer
- January 7 — Francisco Maciel, Mexican tennis player
- January 10 — Jutta Niehaus, Germann female cyclist
- January 10 — José Pérez, Venezuelan boxer
- January 12 — Laura Gildemeister, Peruvian tennis player
- January 18 — Virgil Hill, American boxer
- January 21 — José Manuel Albentosa, Spanish long-distance runner
- January 21 — Aleksandar Šoštar, Yugoslav water polo player
- January 20 — Roger Smith, Bahamian tennis player
- January 22 — Nigel Benn, British boxer
- January 22 — Celia Corres, Spanish field hockey player
- January 27 — Baik Hyun-Man, South Korean boxer
- January 29 — Peter Borglund, Swedish javelin thrower
February
- February 4 — Ricardo Acioly, Brazilian tennis player
- February 5 — Rob Grabert, Dutch volleyball player
- February 5 — Jim Pugh, American tennis player
- February 8 — Karel David, Czech long-distance runner
- February 10 — Victor Davis, Canadian swimming champion (d. 1989)
- February 10 — Chris Sande, Kenyan boxer
- February 12 — Stéphane Franke, German long-distance runner
- February 12 — Tuihaleni Kayele, Namibian long-distance runner
- February 14 — Frédéric Delcourt, French backstroke swimmer
- February 16 — Raúl Alcalá, Mexican cyclist
- February 16 — Jose Roberto Gama de Oliveira, Brazilian footballer
- February 17 — Ingrid Wolff, Dutch field hockey forward
- February 18 — Jackie McWilliams, Irish field hockey player
- February 20 — An Young-Su, South Korean boxer
- February 20 — Romanas Brazdauskis, Lithuanian basketball player
- February 22 — Magnus Wislander, Swedish handball player
- February 23 — Daniel Colla, Argentine volleyball player
- February 23 — Bashir Varaev, Russian judoka
- February 24 — Ute Geweniger, German breaststroke and medley swimmer
- February 27 — Thomas Lange, German rower
- February 27 — Christian Penigaud, French beach volleyball player
- February 28 — Pilar Ramírez, Mexican synchronized swimmer
- February 29 — Paul Just, German-Canadian pole vaulter
- February 29 — Svilen Rusinov, Bulgarian boxer
- February 29 — Henrik Sundström, Swedish tennis player
March
- March 4 — Richard Saeger, American freestyle swimmer
- March 5 — Gerald Vanenburg, Dutch football (soccer) player
- March 6 — Robyn Toomey, New Zealand field hockey player
- March 7 — Vladimir Smirnov, Kazakh cross-country skier
- March 10 — Wendy Baker, Canadian field hockey goalkeeper
- March 11 — Juantxo García-Mauriño, Spanish field hockey player
- March 11 — Carlos Scanavino, Uruguayan freestyle swimmer
- March 12 — Kym Carter, American heptathlete
- March 18 — Bonnie Blair, American speed skater
- March 21 — Frank Baltrusch, East German backstroke swimmer
- March 21 — Sean Murphy, Canadian backstroke swimmer
- March 24 — Liz McColgan, British long-distance running athlete
- March 24 — Luis Soares, Portuguese-French long-distance runner
- March 31 — Kelly Jones, American tennis player
- March 31 — Monique Knol, Dutch cyclist
April
- April 2 — Saulius Kleiza, Lithuanian shot putter and discus thrower
- April 2 — Nadezhda Wijenberg, Russian-Dutch long-distance runner
- April 5 — Steve Beaton, British darts player
- April 5 — Neil Eckersley, British judoka
- April 6 — Luíz Antônio dos Santos, Brazilian long-distance runner
- April 8 — Andrew Maynard, American boxer
- April 9 — Graham Reid, Australian field hockey player
- April 10 — Manon Bollegraf, Dutch tennis player
- April 12 — Josep Picó, Spanish water polo player
- April 13 — Steve McCrory, American boxer
- April 17 — William Mattus, Costa Rican football (soccer) referee
- April 18 — Paul Gonzales, American boxer
- April 19 — Kinga Zsigmond, Hungarian javelin thrower
- April 21 — Alex Baumann, Czech-born Canadian swimmer
- April 21 — Ludmila Engquist, Russian-born Swedish athlete
- April 22 — Michelle Pearson, Australian medley and freestyle swimmer
- April 22 — Wilma van Velsen, Dutch butterfly and freestyle swimmer
- April 25 — Omar Catari, Venezuelan boxer
- April 26 — Aleksandr Miroshnichenko, Soviet boxer (d. 2003)
- April 27 — Sharon Creelman, Canadian field hockey player
- April 28 — Mark Hager, Australian field hockey player
- April 29 — Jürgen Evers, West German sprinter
May
- May 1 — Yvonne van Gennip, Dutch speed skater
- May 2 — Ricki Osterthun, German tennis player
- May 4 — Mark Leduc, Canadian boxer
- May 5 — Heike Henkel, German athlete
- May 7 — Patrick Faber, Dutch field hockey player
- May 8 — Dragan Perić, Yugoslav shot putter
- May 13 — Sara Gomer, British tennis player
- May 13 — Robert Marland, Canadian rower
- May 17 — Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (d. 1999)
- May 20 — Miodrag Belodedici, Romanian football (soccer) defender
- May 22 — Virginia Ramírez, Spanish field hockey player
- May 25 — Vladimir Inozemtsev, Ukrainian triple jumper
- May 27 — Natalya Kovtun, Russian sprinter
- May 28 — Jeff Fenech, Australian boxer
- May 31 — Stéphane Caristan, French hurdler
June
- June 3 — Matthew Ryan, Australian equestrian
- June 4 — Desi Reijers, Dutch freestyle swimmer
- June 8 — Erik Parlevliet, Dutch field hockey player (d. 2007)
- June 11 — Kim Gallagher, American athlete (d. 2002)
- June 11 — Martine Ohr, Dutch field hockey striker
- June 14 — Randall Thompson, Canadian boxer
- June 15 — Valeri Bukrejev, Estonian pole vaulter
- June 15 — Michael Laudrup, Danish footballer and manager
- June 16 — Michael Metz, German field hockey player
- June 19 — Michael Kenny, New Zealand boxer
- June 20 — Deyan Kirilov, Bulgarian boxer
- June 21 — Rick Duff, Canadian boxer
- June 23 — Lou Yun, Chinese gymnast
- June 25 — Robert Muzzio, American decathlete
- June 28 — Gheorghe Boroi, Romanian hurdler
- June 30 — Tania Dangalakova, Bulgarian breaststroke swimmer
July
- July 1 — Denisse Fajardo, Peruvian volleyball player
- July 1 — Bernard Laporte, French rugby player and coach
- July 4 — Luisa Cervera, Peruvian volleyball player
- July 10 — Martin Laurendeau, Canadian tennis player
- July 10 — Jon Root, American volleyball player
- July 14 — Marcelino Bolivar, Venezuelan boxer
- July 17 — Earl Jones, American track and field athlete
- July 22 — Thierry Brusseau, French track and field athlete
- July 24 — Barry Bonds, American baseball player
- July 24 — Erminia Russo, Canadian volleyball player
- July 25 — Helen van der Ben, Dutch field hockey player and coach
- July 25 — Angus Waddell, Australian freestyle swimmer
- July 27 — Hellen Boering, Dutch water polo goalkeeper
- July 27 — John Moffet, American breaststroke swimmer
- July 28 — Aleksandar Hristov, Bulgarian boxer
- July 28 — Sybille Schönrock, East German butterfly swimmer
- July 30 — Jurgen Klinsmann, German footballer and manager
- July 30 — Roland Lee, English freestyle swimmer
August
- August 1 — Maria Usifo, Nigerian athlete
- August 3 — Elles Voskes, Dutch freestyle swimmer
- August 4 — Anita Protti, Swiss track and field athlete
- August 8 — Nicolae Juravschi, Moldovan canoer
- August 9 — Soraia André, Brazilian judoka
- August 9 — Michael Heath, American swimmer
- August 14 — Sammy Lelei, Kenyan long-distance runner
- August 14 — Hussain Shah Syed, Pakistani boxer
- August 19 — Mikko Kolehmainen, Finnish flatwater canoer
- August 20 — Giuseppe Giannini, Italian football (soccer) player
- August 20 — Sachiko Yamashita, Japanese long-distance runner
- August 22 — Mats Wilander, Swedish tennis player
- August 26 — Dave Boyes, Canadian rower
- August 27 — Frank Tate, American boxer
- August 28 — Borut and Darjan Petrič, Yugoslav twins and freestyle swimmers
- August 29 — Jordi Arrese, Spanish tennis player
- August 29 — Massimo Barbolini, Italian volleyball coach
- August 30 — Milena Gaiga, Canadian field hockey player
- August 31 — Mike West, Canadian backstroke swimmer
September
- September 3 — Robinsón Pitalúa, Colombian boxer (d. 1985)
- September 4 — Maryse Ewanjé-Epée, French high jumper
- September 4 — Robson da Silva, Brazilian athlete
- September 5 — Michael Bentt, English-American boxer
- September 5 — Carlos Gabriel Salazar, Argentine boxer
- September 7 — Natik Bagirov, Belarusian judoka
- September 7 — Richard Matuszewski, American tennis player
- September 10 — Marisa López, Argentine field hockey player
- September 12 — Zsolt Gyulai, Hungarian canoer
- September 12 — Dirk Richter, East German swimmer
- September 14 — Terrence Paul, Canadian rower
- September 16 — Glenn Beringen, Australian breaststroke swimmer
- September 18 — Kelly-Ann Way, Canadian track cyclist and road bicycle racer
- September 20 — Madina Biktagirova, Russian long-distance runner
- September 22 — Wayne Yearwood, Canadian basketball player and coach
- September 23 — Diana Dutra, Canadian female boxer
- September 25 — Christopher Jacobs, American swimmer
- September 25 — Ray Lazdins, Canadian discus thrower
- September 29 — Tadashi Fukushima, Japanese long-distance runner
October
- October 1 — Marcia Pankratz, American field hockey forward
- October 2 — Dirk Brinkmann, German field hockey player
- October 2 — Raimundo Yant, Venezuelan boxer
- October 4 — Yvonne Murray, Scottish athlete
- October 5 — Seiko Hashimoto, Japanese ice speed skater
- October 5 — Letitia Vriesde, Surinamese track and field athlete
- October 9 — Carlos Patrício, Portuguese long-distance runner
- October 11 — Uwe Ampler, East German track and road cyclist
- October 19 — Carlos di Laura, Peruvian tennis player
- October 21 — Christian Eminger, Austrian ice speed skater
- October 23 — David Penfold, New Zealand field hockey player
- October 25 — Johan de Kock, Dutch football (soccer) defender
- October 26 — Lawson Duncan, American tennis player
- October 26 — Elisabeta Lipă, Romanian rower
- October 27 — Mary T. Meagher, American swimmer
- October 29 — May Allison, Canadian long-distance runner
- October 29 — Anthony Mosse, New Zealand swimmer
- October 29 — Jackie Pereira, Australian field hockey striker
November
- November 1 — Emanuel Roggero, Argentine field hockey goalkeeper
- November 9 — Mark Dalton, Australian basketball player
- November 9 — Leah Pells, Canadian track and field athlete
- November 14 — Silken Laumann, Canadian rower
- November 18 — Markus Hacksteiner, Swiss middle distance runner
- November 23 — Lars Myrberg, Swedish boxer
- November 23 — Drake Thadzi, Malawian boxer
- November 24 — Hendrie Krüzen, Dutch football (soccer) midfielder
- November 25 — Bert van Vlaanderen, Dutch long-distance runner
- November 25 — Wendy Wyland, American diver (d. 2003)
- November 26 — Vreni Schneider, Swiss alpine ski racer
- November 30 — Henk-Jan Zwolle, Dutch rower
December
- December 1 — Salvatore Schillaci, Italian soccer player (footballer)
- December 5 — Pablo Morales, American swimmer
- December 6 — Marat Ganeyev, Russian track cyclist
- December 8 — Nikola Jerkan, Croatian football (soccer) player
- December 9 — Peter Blangé, Dutch volleyball player and coach
- December 11 — Jacqueline Toxopeus, Dutch field hockey goalkeeper
- December 11 — Carolyn Waldo, Canadian synchronized swimmer
- December 12 — Cristina Fink, Mexican high jumper
- December 12 — Suzanne Landells, Australian medley swimmer
- December 12 — Davide Milesi, Italian long-distance runner
- December 13 — Dieter Eilts, German football (soccer) player
- December 16 — Heike Drechsler, German track and field athlete
- December 16 — Marieke van Drogenbroek, Dutch rower
- December 17 — Barbara Daniels, English cricketer
- December 19 — Arvydas Sabonis, Lithuanian basketball player
- December 23 — Lacy Barnes-Mileham, American discus thrower
- December 23 — Marcela Richezza, Argentine field hockey player
- December 24 — Shahid Ali Khan, Pakistani field hockey goalkeeper
- December 25 — Anil Kaul, Indian-Canadian badminton player
- December 28 — Rick Leach, American tennis player
Deaths
- January 19 — Joe Weatherly, NASCAR grand national champion
- February 15 — Ken Hubbs (22), MLB baseball player, Chicago Cubs
- July 2 — Fireball Roberts, American stock car driver
- July 23 — Frederick Grace (80), English lightweight boxer (b. 1884)
- December 3 — Nils Backlund (68), Swedish water polo player (b. 1896)
