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A lot of sports events have been held off until next year, which could make 2021 a potentially exciting (and slightly hectic) year for sports fans. Here are some of the big sporting events to look forward to next year and what we can expect.
The Olympic games
This year, Tokyo was meant to host the 2020 summer Olympics. Due to covid-19, the games were rescheduled to July 2021.
In response to fears by athletes that the games may be cancelled again, the International Olympic Committee has put its foot down and declared that the games will be held ‘with or without Covid’. While it’s therefore very likely that they will be going ahead, certain changes are expected to be made. For instance, athletes may need to quarantine before competing and there could be a focus aimed at ‘essentials’ within the Olympic village. Spectators are likely to still be encouraged to attend – but they may too have to quarantine if travelling from another country.
Who are the athletes to watch out for in 2021? With an extra year to train, it’s become more uncertain as to who will be the big stars. Swimming is thought to produce quite a few new superstar athletes including the likes of Hungary’s Kristof Milak, Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov and America’s Regan Smith. With new sports such as sports climbing, skateboarding and surfing also being added, there could also be some exciting new athletes to look out for in these sports.
Tennis
Tennis has also been affected by Covid-19. Wimbledon was cancelled and the French Open was postponed. Many events have continued to go ahead this year such as the French Open and US open, however athletes have been dropping out due to health concerns. Crowds have even been allowed at the French Open.
Next year’s Australian Open is set to still go ahead in January, but with smaller crowds and player bio-security in place. Most players are looking towards this event as a return to normal tennis (Federer has said that he won’t be playing any tournaments in 2020 – the Australian Open is set to be his first tournament since lockdown).
NFL
This year’s NFL season has started as usual. As with other sports, there have been efforts to reduce spectators in the stadium and media on the side lines. The game itself has not been affected in any way by the pandemic.
The 2021 Super Bowl will be held in Tampa in February. If you’re thinking of betting on the Super Bowl 2021, you can find plenty of information online about the favorites. Will the Chiefs win for the second consecutive year in a row? Will the San Francisco 49ers come in and steal the trophy? Or will an underdog come in and take the victory?
NBA
The 2019 to 2020 NBA season has been long and eventful. In March, it was suspended due to Covid-19. The season restarted again in July but was suspended for a second time in August due to a wildcat strike. It is now not thought to finish until October.
A new condensed 2020 to 2021 season has been proposed that would allow NBA seasons to return to normal in the future. This would start on December 1st, providing that the current season finishes by then. Such a condensed season has occurred before back in 2012 and may require less games.
Odds have already been posted on the 2021 NBA season. Some of the favorites for the next season include the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks. The results of this current 2020 season will likely be more telling.
Soccer
The UEFA champion’s league has already returned. As with other sports, crowds and media have been reduced to keep the virus at bay.
The UEFA Euro 2020 has been postponed to Summer 2021. To celebrate the event’s 60th birthday, the event was already planned to take part in numerous cities across Europe – there are plans to continue this in 2021. The women’s UEFA Euro will meanwhile be held in England in 2021.
France are currently the favorites to win the UEFA Euro 2021. Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium are also likely to do well. Then there’s England, who may well be in for a chance.
Rugby
The Rugby Six Nations started in February this year but had to be put on hold due the pandemic. The remaining matches have been postponed until October.
Next year, the Rugby League World Cup will take place in October. With any luck, covid-19 should be well under control by then and there shouldn’t have to be any changes to the way in which the games are held.
Formula 1
Formula 1 was postponed this year, but has since started up again. Several races have been cancelled in order to keep this year’s grand prix within the time frame.
Next year, there is expected to be more races and things will get back to normal. A few regulations changes will be put into place that could spice things up. Every team is going to have a budget cap, dual-axis steering will be banned and the usual four day race weekend will be condensed into three days.
Tour de France
This year’s Tour de France was postponed and has only just started this September. A few measures have been taken to control crowds and keep the event relatively safe.
Next year, the famous cycle race is expected to return to being held in June. It is scheduled to start in Best in Brittany.
Growing Forward 