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Year in Review: A tumultuous year for the sporting world

Yearender: Here's how the covid 19 pandemic impacted the sporting world.

Yearender 2020: A tumultuous year for the sporting world

Bengaluru, Dec. 13: At the onset of 2020 the sporting world was set to ring in a year filled with major sports events. But fate had other plans, as the coronavirus pandemic brought all sporting events to a screeching halt.

The month of March suddenly saw ongoing sports events being called off, while upcoming events were either postponed or cancelled. What followed was months of anticipation. As lockdown became the new normal and unsurety gripped the world, fans and players began their wait for sports to make a comeback.

The last time major sports events were impacted was during World War II. When the world went into lockdown, little did we expect any live sports this year, but as the year comes to an end, sports has also adapted to the new normal. While many events were called off, organisers found a way to get players back on court after a few months, as sports resumed behind closed doors.

Here, mykhel looks back at the major events postponed or called off due to the pandemic and how Covid-19 changed sports.

Doubt over IPL, WC postponed

Doubt over IPL, WC postponed

Cricket is the heartthrob of the Indian subcontinent. And the first major blow came when South Africa’s tour of India was called off mid-tour. What followed was a major blow to Indian cricket fans, as the 13th edition of the IPL, which was set to get underway on March 28th, was postponed indefinitely.

Though, the BCCI did manage to conduct the tournament behind closed doors in UAE in September. And that brought some respite to the sports deprived fans.

But while we are talking about cricket taking a hit, the biggest event of the cricketing calendar was postponed due to the pandemic. Players and fans were all gearing up for the ICC T20 World Cup to get underway this year, but the pandemic saw ICC’s major event being postponed.

Big blow to Olympics

Big blow to Olympics

Being an Olympic year, the most anticipated event of the year was the Tokyo Olympics. But the pandemic saw the gala event being rescheduled to 2021. While the postponement came as a big blow to athletes and fans across the world, the government and organisers suffered huge losses.

Apart from the Olympics, which was a major blow to the sporting world, other sports saw major tournaments being called off. While the tennis season took a major hit, football leagues came to a screeching halt.

Major leagues halted

Major leagues halted

Meanwhile, all major football leagues incurred heavy losses as most leagues came to a halt in March. With European football leagues coming to a standstill, the uncertainty left fans in despair. Moreover, UEFA postponed Euro League to 2021.

Formula One season saw a delayed start, but eventually F1 got underway. Several Grand Prix races were called off due to the pandemic, but the organisers revised the schedule so that the season got back on track and F1 avoided forfeiting the season for good.

Wimbledon cancelled

Wimbledon cancelled

Another major event to join the bandwagon of cancelled tournaments was the Wimbledon. The oldest tennis Grand Slam was called off for the first time since World War II. Though French Open and US Open were conducted, there was a lot of hassle as they were too close to each other and injury concerns grew.

These were some of the major events that sports fans missed across the world. But these were just a handful as all sports events were impacted, including badminton, golf among others. A world without sports is not one that went down well with anyone, especially with most of the world being locked away in their homes.

The new normal

The new normal

Eventually sports learnt to adapt to the new normal. But when sports did get back, it saw a barrage of changes. No fans, bio secure bubbles, isolation, quarantine became the new normal.

Leagues around the world resumed as they saw rules being changed, and most importantly most of the tournaments were being held behind closed doors. Sans fans sport is not the same, but in a year, gripped with uncertainty and death, seeing your favourite teams and players back on the big screen is more than one could ask for.

While the world gets ready to bid farewell to the year, sports saw a glimmer of hope as fans returned to the stadium during India’s ongoing tour of Australia.

After a forgettable year of no sports, to a handful of events and few fans, the sporting world heads into the new year, hoping to see packed stadiums and their major tournaments being conducted without a hiccup, including the Tokyo Olympics, cricket World Cup among several others.

Story first published: Sunday, December 13, 2020, 23:17 [IST]
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