Although the Covid-19 pandemic left the 2020 sporting calendar in absolute shambles, 2021 is the year of newfound excitement. The year began with a lot of optimism with the calendar release of major sporting events like Formula One, ICC T20 World Cup, etc. 2021 is an important year for sports as a lot of championships and sports tournaments that were postponed in 2020 have now been rescheduled and lined up for 2021.
Here are a few tournaments to look out for in 2021 as the sports world gears up to make a comeback after a year-long hiatus.
Summer Olympics – (Jul 23 – Aug 8)
Being an event that takes place once every 4 years, the cancellation of the Olympics was one of the biggest blows to the sporting world last year. The Olympics, as we know it now, has been documented since the 17th century. As one of the most competitive sporting events in the world, it has attracted the most amount of attention out of all major tournaments. This year the Summer Olympics is to be held in Tokyo, Japan from the 23rd of July to the 8th of August. With the athletes having an extra year of preparation under their belt, the Olympics is bound to have us all sitting on the edge of our seats this year!
UEFA World Championship finals – (May 29)
The last quarter of 2020 finally brought some good news for sports fans across the globe as the UEFA World Championship began. The exciting football matches day-in and day-out as well as the round of 16 draws late last year, helped in keeping the spirits raised in the world of sports. Competition gets intense as the top 16 clubs compete head-to-head, as they make their way to the finals – to be held on the 29th of May, 2021 in Istanbul, Turkey.
The Grand Slam tournaments
Yet another major sport that was canceled last year — The Grand Slam tournaments. The majors are tennis tournaments held across a 2-week period. The big 4 games, namely the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, are favourites among tennis fans across the globe. The Australian Open is to be held between the 8th and the 21st February in Melbourne, Australia, and Wimbledon between the 28th of June and 11th of July in London, England. With tentative dates of May 23 – June 6 and Aug 30 – September 12 — the French Open and the US Open are yet to be confirmed.
Asia Cup (Schedule TBA)
As with many other sporting events around the globe, the Asia Cup cricket tournament was postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament, originally to be hosted by Pakistan in 2020, will now be held in Sri Lanka in June 2021.
Giving an update, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the country will be hosting the next edition of the Asia Cup in 2022.
With matches that no cricket fan is going to want to miss, the Asia Cup is one of the tournaments that are sure to create a lot of buzz in the world of sports. Some of the most exciting ones being between India and Pakistan. The Ind-Pak matches promise excitement, tension and fervent solidarity on both sides. Whether it is the World Cup or a smaller event, any cricket match between the two countries is sure to get cricket fans from either side of the border glued to their screens. Although the official schedule is yet to be announced, make sure to free up your evenings in the month of June as this is one event you wouldn’t want to miss!
ICC T20 – (Oct 18 – Nov 15)
When talking about exciting sports tournaments, cricket is a tough one to miss. The 2021 ICC Men’s Cricket T20 World Cup will be the 8th T20 cricket World Championship. This year the tournament is being hosted by India Starting October 18th, all cricket fans will watch with bated breaths as the 20 teams go head-to-head to reach the final match on the 15th of November.
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