See also: 1982 in sports, other events of 1983, 1984 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.

Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • NASCAR Championship - Bobby Allison
  • Cale Yarborough won the Daytona 500
• CART Racing - Al Unser won the season championship
  • Indianapolis 500 - Tom Sneva
• Formula One Championship - Nelson Piquet of Brazil
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Vern Schuppan / Al Holbert / Hurley Haywood won, driving a Porsche 956
• Rally racing - Hannu Mikkola in an Audi won the World Rally Championship
  • the team of Walter Rohrl /Christian Geistdorfer won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Lancia 037
• Drag racing - Gary Beck won the NHRA Top Fuel championship.

Baseball

• January 12 - Brooks Robinson and Juan Marichal are elected to the Hall of Fame. Robinson, winner of 16 straight Gold Gloves and hero of the 1970 World Series, becomes the 14th player elected in his first year of eligibility. Marichal, the winningest Latin American pitcher in major league history, won 20 or more games six times and had an ERA of 2.50 or less six times.

• World Series: - Baltimore Orioles win 4 games to 1 over the Philadelphia Phillies

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
  • North Carolina State wins 54-52 over Houston

• NBA Finals:
  • Philadelphia 76ers won 4 games to 0 over the Los Angeles Lakers

Boxing

• May 20 - For the first time ever, two world Heavyweight champions defend their titles the same night, at the same place: Larry Holmes retains the WBC title defeating future two time world champion Tim Witherspoon, and Michael Dokes retains his WBA title with a 15 round draw (tie) against former world champion Mike Weaver.

• June 16 - Roberto Duran wins his third world title, knocking out WBA world Jr. Middleweight champion Davey Moore in eight rounds.

• November 10 - Marvin Hagler retains his unified world Middleweight title with a 15 round unanimous decision over Roberto Duran. It was 1983's most anticipated bout.

Cricket

• Cricket World Cup - India beat West Indies by 43 runs.
• Asian Cricket Council formed.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Giuseppe Saronni of Italy
• Tour de France - Laurent Fignon of France
• World Cycling Championship: Greg Lemond of the United States

Field Hockey

• March 12 - In an international women's field hockey match at Wembley Stadium,England. England beat Germany 3-2.
• April - In the 5th women's Field Hockey Cup,The Netherlands are the World Champions.
• October 28 - November 4: Fifth Men's Champions Trophy held in Pakistan for the fourth time in 5 editions in Karachi won by Australia for the first time. Hosts Pakistan finish 2nd.

Figure Skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Scott Hamilton, (United States)
  • Women's champion: Rosalynn Sumners, (United States)
  • Pairs champions: Jelena Walowa & Oleg Wassiljew , (Soviet Union)

Football (American)

• Super Bowl XVII: Washington Redskins won 27-17 over the Miami Dolphins

Football (Australian Rules)

• Victorian Football League
  • Hawthorn wins the 87th VFL Premiership (Hawthorn 20.20 (140) d Essendon 8.9 (57))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Ross Glendinning (North Melbourne)

Football (Canadian)

• Grey Cup: Toronto Argonauts won 18-17 over the B.C. Lions
• Vanier Cup: Calgary Dinos won 31-21 over the Queen's Golden Gaels

Football (Soccer)

• Champions' Cup: Hamburger SV 1-0 Juventus
• UEFA Cup: Two legs; 1st leg R.S.C. Anderlecht 1-0 SL Benfica; 2nd leg SL Benfica 1-1 RSC Anderlecht; RSC Anderlecht won 2-1 on aggregate
• Cup Winners' Cup: Aberdeen F.C. 2-1 Real Madrid C.F. (AET)
• Super Cup: Two legs; 1st leg Hamburger SV 0-0 Aberdeen F.C.; 2nd leg Aberdeen F.C. 2-0 Hamburger SV; Aberdeen F.C. won 2-0 on aggregate
• Copa Libertadores de América: Two legs; 1st leg Peñarol 1-1 Grêmio; 2nd leg Grêmio 2-1 Peñarol; Grêmio won 3-2 on aggregate
• League champions
  • Argentina: Estudiantes LP (Nacional), Independiente (Metropolitano)
  • Brazil: Clube de Regatas Flamengo (Taça de Ouro)
  • England: Liverpool F.C.
  • France: FC Nantes-Atlantique
  • Italy: A.S. Roma
  • Netherlands: Ajax Amsterdam
  • Portugal: SL Benfica
  • Scotland: Dundee United
  • Spain: Athletic Club de Bilbao
  • West Germany: Hamburger SV
• England - FA Cup: Manchester United won 2 - 2 (aet); 4 - 0 (replay) over Brighton & Hove Albion

Golf

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters - Seve Ballesteros
  2. June - US Open - Larry Nelson
  3. July - British Open - Tom Watson
  4. August - PGA Championship - Hal Sutton

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Hal Sutton - $426,668
• PGA Champions Tour leading money winner: Don January - $237,571
• Ryder Cup: United States won 14 1/2 - 13 1/2 over Europe in world team golf.

Women's Golf

• US Women's Open - Jan Stephenson
• LPGA Championship - Patty Sheehan
• JoAnne Carner:leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $291,404.

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• February 8 - the great Shergar was kidnapped from Ballymany Stud, near the Curragh in County Kildare, Ireland. No trace of the horse has ever been found.

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Kiwi
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Bompago
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - All Along
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Shareef Dancer

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Lomond
  2. Epsom Derby - Teenoso
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Sun Princess

• United States Triple Crown Races:
• Sunny's Halo becomes on the second Canadian bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby.
  1. Kentucky Derby - Sunny's Halo
  2. Preakness Stakes - Deputed Testamony
  3. Belmont Stakes - Caveat

Harness Racing

• Ralph Hanover wins the United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Ralph Hanover
  2. Little Brown Jug - Ralph Hanover
  3. Messenger Stakes - Ralph Hanover

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Duenna
  2. Yonkers Trot
  3. Kentucky Futurity

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Gammalite
  • Trotters: Scotch Notch

Ice Hockey

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers

• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers

• Stanley Cup: New York Islanders win 4-0 over the Edmonton Oilers

• World Hockey Championship:
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia
  • Junior Men's champion: USSR defetated Czechoslovakia

Skiing

• Alpine Skiing
  • The men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre , USA
  • The women's overall season champion: Tamara McKinney , USA

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship: Steve Davis beats Cliff Thorburn 18-6
• World rankings: Steve Davis becomes world number one for 1983/84

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Mats Wilander
  2. French Open - Yannick Noah
  3. Wimbledon championships - John McEnroe
  4. US Open - Jimmy Connors

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Martina Navratilova
  2. French Open - Chris Evert
  3. Wimbledon championships - Martina Navratilova
  4. US Open - Martina Navratilova

• Davis Cup: Australia won 3-2 over Sweden in world tennis.

General sporting events

• January 18 - The International Olympic Committee restores the medals to the family of Jim Thorpe

• February 27 - In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Ireland's Eamonn Coghlan set a new World Indoor Record for the mile, clocking 3:49.78.

• First IAAF World Championships in Athletics held in Helsinki

• Alan Bond and his team from of Australia defeated Dennis Conner and his team from the United States to capture the America's Cup of yacht racing. For 132 years, from 1850-1980, and through 25 challenges, the America's Cup had been held by the United States.
• 61 year old potato farmer Cliff Young Wins Sydney-Melbourne Foot Race(a)

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion:
  • Rick Mackey won with lead dogs: Preacher & Jody

Births

• February 23 - Mido, Egyptian international footballer
• April 13 - Schalk Burger, South African rugby player
• April 15 - Ilya Kovalchuk, Russian NHL player
• April 17 - Miguel Cabrera, Major League Baseball All-Star
• May 27 - Bobby Convey, American soccer player
• June 6 - Joe Rokocoko, New Zealand rugby player
• August 31 - Alex Blackwell , Australian cricketer
• August 31 - Kate Blackwell , Australian cricketer

Deaths

• Adios Butler - harness racing horse
• January 26 - Del Rice , Major League Baseball player
• January 26 - Paul "Bear" Bryant college football coach at Alabama
• February 1 - Tullio Campagnolo , Italian bicycle manufacturer
• February 22 - Romain Maes , Belgian cyclist
• March 13 - Louison Bobet, French cyclist
• April 23 - Buster Crabbe, U.S. Olympic swimming gold medalist turned actor
• April 28 - Ron James , Australian cricketer
• April 17 - Dutch Leonard , Major League Baseball player (born 1909)
• May 31 - Jack Dempsey world champion boxer
• June 27 - Don Ida , balloonist, killed during a race
• June 27 - Maxie Anderson , balloonist, killed during a race
• June 29 - Joe Delaney , football player, Kansas City Chiefs, a true hero, after rescuing one boy, he drowned while attempting to rescue 2 more
• July 7 - Vic Wertz , Major League Baseball player
• July 28 - Alec Marks , Australian cricketer
• August 12 - Henry Gifford Vivian , New Zealand cricketer
• September 08 - Antonin Magne , French cylist
• October 31 - George Halas, NFL coach, Chicago Bears
• November 15 - Charlie Grimm , Major League Baseball player