The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on global sport this year, as a host of major events were canceled or postponed. As a result, the year 2021 will be packed with high-profile events, dominating with Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020 in the summer.
As another wave hits, it is still uncertain how these games will be staged and whether fans will be allowed into stadiums, but sports showcase the human spirit and inspire the world in such unprecedented times.
The "Tokyo 2020+1" logo is seen in Tokyo, August 24, 2020, exactly one year after the postponed 2020 Paralympic Games take place in 2021. /VCG
Tokyo Olympics
The organizers took the unprecedented step of postponing the Olympics in March because of the pandemic, marking the first time a modern Olympic Games had been delayed in its 124-year history.
The rescheduled Tokyo Olympics will be the centerpiece of a crammed sporting year in 2021, which will now be held between July 23 and August 8, and the Paralympic Games will be held from August 24 till September 5, 2021.
Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori (L) speaks during the opening remarks session of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics executive board meeting in Tokyo, December 22, 2020. /VCG
While the tournament will still be called the 2020 Olympics, they have been altered by COVID-19.
Tokyo 2020 organizers and the Japanese government are struggling with increased costs and — despite the growing possibility of vaccines being available — whether to allow foreign visitors and what safeguards and restrictions will be in place.
The organizers' challenge is considerable since the games bring together over 11,000 athletes from 206 countries, accompanied by at least 5,000 officials and coaches, 20,000 media representatives, and 60,000 volunteers.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach visits the National Stadium, the main venue for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan, November 17, 2020. /VCG
In December, organizers say the delayed Tokyo Olympics will cost at least 1.64 trillion yen ($15.9 billion), with extra costs of up $2.8 billion from figures released a year ago, making it the most expensive Summer Olympics in history.
Organizers have reduced the number of free tickets, scaled down the opening ceremony, and made savings on mascots, banners and meals, but so far have cut just $280 million.
Athletes will be asked to arrive late and leave early, minimize their time in the Olympic village, refrain from speaking loudly, avoid physical contact, and wear masks when not competing or training. They will be screened on arrival and undergo tests every four to five days.
A countdown clock in front of the Tokyo Station after the Tokyo Olympics is postponed until 2021, July 23, 2020. /VCG
Meanwhile, enthusiasm also appears to have waned in Japan.
A poll in December showed that a majority of Japanese people oppose holding the Tokyo Games next year, favoring a further delay or outright cancellation of the massive event.
However, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has declared he will host the Olympics "at any cost," pressing ahead with the preparations, as the cost of cancellation is astronomical. And International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach repeatedly said he was confident the Games will happen and be a success.
The UEFA EURO 2020 trophy on display in London, United Kingdom, September 21, 2016. /VCG
Euro 2020
A week before the Games were postponed, the European Championship football tournament, second only to the World Cup in size, was rescheduled until 2021 as UEFA accepted the futility of staging an event across 12 cities during a pandemic.
The 24-team Championship is now scheduled to take place between June 11 and July 11 of 2021.
It will still be called Euro 2020 and is scheduled to stick to the original multi-national format- if the circumstances of the pandemic allow, though some member nations have reportedly been urging UEFA to put all the matches in one country.
Last season's Champions League finished with a "final eight" tournament with matches from the quarter-final onwards played over two weeks in Lisbon, a week-long "final four", in a single-game knockout format.
The game between Northern Ireland and Slovakia during the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying match in Belfast, United Kingdom, November 12, 2020. /VCG
For Euro 2020, Rome's Stadio Olimpico will host the opening match, while England's national stadium Wembley will stage both semi-finals and the final.
It is too soon to say whether matches would be played without spectators, in full stadiums, or with reduced capacities, with so many unpredictable circumstances, and international health regulations likely to change significantly over the next six months.
More than 45,000 tickets have already been sold for the match in the UEFA ballot.
An official announcement on ticket allocations is expected in January.
With so many sports are still canceling around the globe to this moment, and many are maneuvering to minimize overlaps between their revamped schedules and the Olympics, there is still hope in 2021 that "the Olympic flame will become a light at the end of the tunnel".
The Olympic flame in a lantern is seen at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, July 23, 2020. /VCG
What sports events to be expected in 2021?
Note: All events and dates are subject to change
January
ATP& WTA Tennis Open start (January 5)
UFC257 (January 23)
Masters snooker (January 10-17)
February
Super Bowl (February 7)
Australian Open (February 8-21)
March
F1 season starts (March 23)
April
Masters golf (April 5-11)
World Snooker Championship (April 17- May 3)
May
NBA playoffs start (May 22)
French Open (May 23- June 6)
Europa League final (May 26)
Champions League final (May 29)
June
Euro 2020 (June 11 - July 11)
Copa America 2020 (June 11 - July 10)
Golf US Open (June 17–20)
Tour de France (June 26- July 18)
Wimbledon (June 29- July 12)
July
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (July 23 - August 8)
August
Tennis US Open (August 30- September 12)
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (August 24 - September 5)
September
Golf Ryder Cup (September 24-26)
October
Rugby League World Cup (October 23- November 27)
November
UK Snooker Championship (November 27- December 5)
December
World Women's Handball Championship (December 2-19)
(With input from agencies)