2020 was rather a depressing year not only for sportsmen but also for the fans due to the coronavirus pandemic. Several sporting events, including the Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics, were either cancelled or postponed as the pandemic wreaked havoc globally. However, taking ample precautions, the sporting world resumed at the fag end of the year. Many events barring the ones that were postponed to 2021 took place.
That said, let us take a look at some major sporting events that are scheduled for the year 2021.
Thailand Open - Badminton
Thailand Open, beginning from January 12 to January 17 in Bangkok, will officially mark the opening for a calendar year in Badminton. The tournament, however, will not be a part of the Olympic qualification.
Australian Open - Tennis
For Tennis, the Australian Open will open the calendar as the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments will be held in Melbourne from February 8 to February 21.
ISSF World Cup 2021 - Shooting
India will hold its first major sporting event in its capital city of New Delhi. The 2021 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup will take place between March 18 to March 19.
World Athletics Indoor Championships
Ahead of the Olympics, athletes will have a chance to showcase and boost their skills at the World Athletics Indoor Championships slated to take place from March 19 to March 21.
India Open Super 500 - Badminton
The second major Badminton tournament will be hosted by India in May. The India Open Super 500 will be the last chance for Indian shuttles trying to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
2021 World Snooker Championship
England will host the 2021 World Snooker Championship from April 17 to May 3 at the Crucible Theatre.
World Olympic Qualifying Tournament - Boxing
Boxers will look to seal the Tokyo Olympics berth at the World Olympic Qualifying Boxing Tournament in June 2021. However, the exact dates will be finalised after monitoring the situation in the Covid-19 era.
French Open
The second of the Grand Slams tournament will begin on May 23 at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France with the quarter-finals and final games set for June 1 and June 5, 6 respectively.
Euro 2020
The Euro 2020, one of the most entertaining events in football, was postponed to 2021, courtesy the novel coronavirus pandemic. Champions Portugal will look to defend their title in the upcoming tournament which will now be held from June 11 to July 11.
The 47th Copa America will also be held between the same period.
Wimbledon
After being cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Wimbledon will be back in 2021. The oldest tennis tournament and the third of the grand slam tournaments will stage its 134th edition from June 28 to July 11.
The coronavirus situation in UK, however, continues to worsen with a new strain of the virus found in many patients. The hospitals are treating a record number of patients, more than the number of patients that were treated during the peak of the virus spread in UK.
Tokyo Olympics
Originally scheduled for the year 2020, the Summer Olympics, a.k.a Tokyo Olympics was postponed to 2021. The highly anticipated world event will begin on July 23 and run till August 8.
ICC T20 World Cup - Cricket
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that the next T20 World Cup will be held in India as per original plans. The 16-team tournament is scheduled for October-November next year.
Apart from Test playing nations Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies, the tournament will also feature its newest qualified member Papua New Guinea besides Namibia, Netherlands, Oman and Scotland.
India had hosted the previous T20 World Cup, back in 2016 which was won by West Indies.
The sport's governing body has said that it will take necessary precautions for Covid-19 if the crisis does not abate.
