The 2020 sporting year, was full of disruptions occasioned by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The sports sector was the worst hit f...
The 2020 sporting year, was full of disruptions occasioned by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The sports sector was the worst hit following the outbreak of the pandemic.
At the global level, after the International Cricket Council were able to hold the World T20 women’s tournament in Australia between March 13 – 15, the situation could not be handled by the IAAF as it announced the postponement of World Athletics Indoor Championships which was scheduled for March 13-15 in Nanjing, China. The event was postponed to 2021
Olympics:
Similarly, Tuesday 24 March, the IOC announced the postponement of the much anticipated Tokyo 2020 Olympics to 2021. It was the biggest blow to the quadrennial event which had a global impact.
Golf:
Numerous sporting events like the Golf Masters Augusta, USA, scheduled for Apr 9-12 was postponed, to a later date. It was the 84th edition and was originally scheduled as the first of golf’s four major championships to be held in 2020.
The tournament eventually held November 12–15. On August 12, it was held without spectators in attendance. Dustin Johnson won the tournament with a record score of 268, 20-under-par, five strokes ahead of Im Sung-jae and Cameron Smith.
The British Open planned for July July 15=16 at the Royal St George’s Golf Club, Sandwich Kent England was cancelled. US PGA, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California was postponed from May 14 – 17 to Aug 6-9.
Ryder Cup scheduled for September 25-27 at Whistling Straits (Haven, Wisconsin), also suffered postponement. The event was moved to 2021.
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Tennis:
French Open:
The second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open originally scheduled for May 24 – Jun 7 was postponed till later in the year
The US Open :
Dominic Thiem won his first major title, defeating Alexander Zverev in the final, 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(8–6) to win the Men’s Singles tennis title. He became the first player in the Open Era to win from two sets down in a US Open final. Zverev became the youngest male finalist at a major championship since Novak Djokovic at the 2010 US Open.
Raphael Nadal was the defending champion but chose to stay away due to the Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but chose not to participate due to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to have enough time to prepare for the rescheduled European clay season.
It was the first time since the 1999 US Open that both Nadal and Roger Federer were absent from a Grand Slam tournament.
Football:
The scenario was replicated in many other sports as in soccer major European football leagues were halted, despite initial hesitation to play on through the outbreak. Many governments stepped in to ensure matches were played behind closed doors before the leagues were ultimately suspended.
Italian Serie A was first to suspend play with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte banning sporting events in the Lombardy and Veneto regions in February.
It was then announced on March 4 that all matches in the country would have to be played behind closed doors before calling a halt to Serie A proceedings on March 9.
Spanish La Liga
Just a few days later, La Liga was suspended after a Real Madrid basketball player tested positive for Covid-19 and the entire Real Madrid football team was placed in quarantine due to the two sides sharing a training facility.
American Major League Soccer:
The 2020 MLS season was just two weeks old when commissioner Don Garber postponed the campaign for at least a month on March 12 – a period which was subsequently extended.
English Premier League, French Ligue 1 and German Bundesliga
March 13 proved to be arguably the most damning day in football, with the Premier League, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga all suspending their respective leagues in the space of 24 hours. But the Bundesliga was the first of European top leagues to resume after the suspension. Other leagues followed suit but without fans on the stands.
However, after numerous reviews of the situation, a limited number of fans were allowed to go watch their clubs play in England.
The final of Euro 2020, a football tournament played across Europe, had the final slated for London UK to have run from June 12 to July 12 postponed until 2021.
The 2020 FIFA Club World Cup was not immune to the effects of the ravaging coronavirus. FIFA in conjunction with the organising committee announced some adjustments in the dates. Instead of holding in December 2020, the tournament was moved to February 2021.
In America, the NBA, NFL, etc were all halted in strict observance to the Covid-19 protocols. It has been a harrowing experience to the average sportsmen and women and professionals too.
In Nigeria
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Back home, the case was worse. With a worsening health sector, poor infrastructure and inadequate expertise the federal government set up a Presidential Task Force on coronavirus. The PTF swung into action and banned all sporting activities. Apart from sports, the entire nation was shut down for weeks. The Nigerian sporting scene came to a standstill. All tiers of the football league were suspended.
National Sports Festival
The National Sports Festival, Edo 2020 was postponed severally and as you read this, no one is certain on the new dates for the festival.
Meanwhile, the Edo State government had put in so much in terms of providing up-to-date facilities including an all-covered stadium, the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium which witnessed a lot of upgrading and in some parts rebuilding. The stadium boasts of a VAR and other modern facilities which were installed in readiness for the National Sports Festival.
Athletics:
Athletics in Nigeria faced its worst year. Like many other sports sectors, the athletics scene was quiet as the athletes had nowhere to train following the closure of stadiums owned by the federal government. Meanwhile, the power struggle in the Athletics Federation of Nigeria did not abate.
Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau who was elected President was purportedly suspended and subsequently impeached by the George Olabode-led faction. However, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja deciding the suit filed by Chinedu Gerald Udora, Esq., counsel to Gusau, the Court presided over by Justice A. I. Chikere nullified the ‘purported’ suspension and subsequent impeachment of Gusau.
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