An odd year, which is usually devoid of large sports parties, will now be different in 2021 as the corona virus pandemic occurs in 2020.
The Covid-19 outbreak that broke out in early 2020 and the reasons for the safety and health of athletes and spectators made a number of major sports events this year suddenly postponed to 2021.
Previously, odd years were only filled with multi-event or regional level sports tournaments, such as Pan America Sports to the SEA Games.
One consideration of sports activities was postponed rather than canceled due to historical factors, the large costs incurred for preparation, to the promotion that was already running.
In 2021 it will be the first odd year filled with many large sports tournaments.
Previously, grand events such as the European Cup, the World Cup and the Olympics were always held in the even years. Corona virus made the European Cup and the 2020 Olympics the first to be postponed.
Since 1960, the European Cup has never been delayed and is still being held in the even years. Likewise, the Olympics which began in 1896 were not even postponed. However, in the 1916 edition, the Olympics were canceled due to World War I, while in 1940 and 1944 it was canceled due to World War II.
This year the European Cup 2020 will be the first sports festival to be pushed back to 2021 due to the corona virus outbreak. On Tuesday (17/3), via a UEFA long distance conference decided to postpone the European Cup 2020.
The biggest soccer tournament in Europe should be held June 12 to July 12 2020, but UEFA does not want to lose momentum at the 16th European Cup.
European Cup 2020 is the 60th anniversary of the European Cup after the first time it was held in 1960 in France. Therefore, UEFA is reluctant to delete this special European Cup.
What’s more, the European Cup 2020 has a new concept in the performance. The four-year tournament that was supposed to be held this year could be the biggest in history.
European Cup 2020 for the first time will be held in 12 stadiums from 12 countries. Therefore, the 2020 European Cup was postponed and held on 11 June to 11 July 2021.
However, the resignation was not good for UEFA. Although it’s not that troublesome because there isn’t a single host country, the postponement of the 2020 European Cup makes UEFA dizzy.
After the announcement of the postponement, the UEFA Twitter account was said to upload if the European Cup, which was held in 2021, remained under the name European Cup 2020.
However, the upload was deleted immediately. UEFA changed the tweet with confirmation that an error had occurred. The deletion and confirmation indicate the complexity of the rescheduling carried out by UEFA to the 2020 European Cup. Of course this scheduling will be related to the issue of promotion and sponsorship, whether the European Cup will continue to use the name 2020 or 2021.
Until now UEFA has not provided official confirmation whether the European Cup will remain under the name 2020 or become 2021. At the same time it will be the first European Cup to be held in odd years.
In addition to UEFA, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics also experienced a change of schedule. President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach and the Japanese Government through Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to postpone the 2020 Olympics to next year.
However, unlike the European Cup 2020, the exact date of the 2020 Olympics which will be held in 2021 is not yet clear. Through its official website, the IOC is targeting the 2020 Olympics to be held in mid-2021, June to September.
“That means that the [task force] team can consider the broader picture, and this is not limited to the summer months [mid-year]. All options are on the table before or during mid-2021,” said Thomas Bach.
The announcement of the delay which later made it difficult for the IOC and the 2020 Olympics to determine the date. Because the 2020 European Cup has determined the schedule of delay in advance, 11 June to 11 July 2021.
The IOC does not want the 32nd Olympics to coincide or clash with the 2020 European Cup schedule. It is better at the beginning or after the European Cup.
As an illustration, although initially both were held this year, the 2020 European Cup will start earlier, 12 June to 12 July, while the 2020 Olympics begin on 24 July to 9 August.
Until finally the new IOC announced the certainty of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics which was held from July 23 to August 8, 2021 on Monday (30/3).
One factor of this schedule difference is the competition for the number of viewers, including television shows.
In addition, young players who appeared in the 2020 European Cup have the opportunity to play in the 2020 Olympics such as: Kylian Mbappe or Matteo Guendouzi.
Apart from the 2020 Olympics being held in the middle of the year, a number of rumors mention that the 2020 Olympics can be held at the end of the year, or in the spring in the September to December period.
However, the 2020 Olympics already have a determination not to change its name or remain with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics even though it was held in 2021.
Not only will the 2020 European Cup and 2020 Olympics be filled, 2021 as the luckiest odd year for sports aspects will also hold the Copa America which should be held June 12 to July 12.
The Copa America 2020 schedule held in Argentina and Colombia coincides with the European Cup 2020, which is from June 11 to July 11, 2021.
However, the Copa America, which is still less prestigious than the European Cup, is actually being held more often in odd years. Since the Copa America era in 1975, the tournament which is held every two years has only been held twice even in the even years (2004 and 2016).
Covid-19 not only postponed the European Cup, Olympics and Copa America 2020, but also disrupted a number of soccer competitions in Europe. European club tournaments such as the Champions League and Europa League have also experienced a change in schedule.
Until now, only the English and German leagues from the top five European leagues have ensured that domestic competition is postponed until April 30. Whereas the Spanish League, the Italian League and the French League are still postponing to an undetermined deadline.
