Sporting events: matches? (5)
I believe the answer is:
meets
This clue is a double definition.
'sporting events' is the first definition.
(a meet is an event of races, contests etc)
'matches?' is the second definition.
('meet' can be a synonym of 'match')
(Other definitions for meets that I've seen before include "Comes together with others" , "Makes contact with" , "Encounters, perhaps by appointment" , "Effectively copes with" , "sports gatherings" .)