Sports have been a great way to spend hours of time during the pandemic, and have allowed many of us to be rooted in some small sense of normality. Having watched a lot of female sports leagues, I’m somewhat used to watching sporting events with smaller crowds in the stands. However, in lieu of large crowds, you can often hear the on-field/court communication between players and coaches, which has adds an interesting, extra element you often don’t get to hear.
This summer, the Sports Gods smile down on us with the return of a lot of sporting events that were put on pause by the pandemic. For better or worse, the Tokyo 202(1) Olympics will be taking place, as well as the return to the lawn courts of Wimbledon, and cycle racing on the stony streets of France.
UEFA Euros (June 11-July 11th)
First up, is a very merry month of football with the European Football Championship (aka Euros) taking place from June 11-July 11th. I remember being in the heart of Athens when Greece won the semi-finals in 2004, and the flare-gun-filled celebrations ran rampant until the early hours of the morning. So, this tournament always has a special place in my heart thanks to that unforgettable experience. View the tournament schedule here!
Tour de France (June 26 – July 18th)
One of my favourite sport events of the year, the Tour de France will be back from June 26-July 18, 2021. This 3-week race full of sprint, mountain, and time trial segments, will traverse 2,124 miles throughout postcard-esque scenery. If you’ve got wanderlust, watching the Tour will be the next-best thing to travelling. Plus, here are a few more reasons to watch.
Wimbledon (June 29th-July 11th)
The lawn courts of Wimbledon should be back in action this year, after foregoing all competition last year. An almost 40-year old Roger Federer recently pulled out of the French Open in an attempt to recover for this year’s grass court run, and Serena Williams should be back in action on court conditions that have yielded some of her best results. Plus, Wimbledon will take place from June 29-July 11, 2021, meaning that on July 11th, the day will start with a filled a men’s Wimbledon tennis final in the morning, and the Euros football final in the afternoon. Get to bed early the night before!
Tokyo Summer Olympics 202(1) (July 23rd – August 8th)
For better or worse, the Tokyo Summer Olympics seem to be going ahead this year from July 23rd to August 8th after being delayed from their original 2020 start-date. I have mixed feelings about this, but ultimately, if they can go ahead in a safe manner, I’ll happily watch. Although, I suspect we will see a lot of inequities that favour first-world athletes. Athletics are gearing up in full force, with fast times and world records already being set in lead-up events – including the fastest 100m time since Flo-Jo – so I’m looking forward to seeing what triumphs these Games have in store.
