NEW DELHI, Dec 31: A hopeful escape and a metaphor for life before a virus came along to cause the kind of disruption that even terror attacks could not. This was sport for most of 2020, courtesy COVID-19.
Heck, even the Olympics, that lofty symbol of human spirit and resilience, had to be postponed, and the last time this happened was when the world was at war.
There were deaths that left fans distraught, there was a retirement that was expected but still seemed unacceptable, training across sports shut down for most of the year and athletes copped with one cancelled tournament after another as fear of the virus took precedence over the desire to compete.
They couldn’t be faulted and neither can the misery of not having enough sporting action compare to the economic and emotional devastation that the pandemic has caused and continues to cause.
It wasn’t that big a concern for his cricket community though. They found a way to hop from one bio-bubble to another and compete after a few months at home. A 53-day IPL went off without a major hitch in front of empty stands in the UAE and delivered record viewership.
But for the rest, the uncertainty was never-seen-before and although most were relieved that the Olympics did not go ahead amid the health crisis, the underlying fear of precious time slipping away from their hands was hard to miss.
India’s big medal hopes for Tokyo Olympics were mostly restricted to their hostel rooms or homes, racing against time to be battle-ready should the Games go ahead in July-August next year.
It remains to be seen how it impacts the medal haul, which was expected to be modest in any case
Here’s a look at the few bright spots, the many worries, and moments that made for a distinctly indelible 2020.
The number of India’s Olympic-bound athletes surged to an unprecedented 74 in the year gone by and what makes it better is that some more may join the list when the final round of qualifiers take place in 2021.
Qualifying for the Games is no small task and the country can take pride in improving these numbers.
The first sport to hit the restart button on Indian soil was the beautiful game with the Indian Super League behind closed doors in Goa.
Indian archery literally got a new lease of life with the world body’s decision to revoke suspension imposed last year after “free and fair” elections were conducted.
Bala Devi became the first Indian woman footballer to play in a top-flight league in Europe after signing with Rangers Women FC of Glasgow which plays in Scottish Women’s Premier League. She also became the first Indian to score in European football.
Magnificent Mary Kom, the 37-year-old mother-of-four, qualified for her second and final Olympic Games at the beginning of the year along with a record eight other Indian boxers.
Both the chess and shooting found a new avenue and beat the lockdown blues by organising competitions online, ensuring the athletes remained engaged.
A retirement that was coming but wasn’t expected – “From 1929 hrs consider me as Retired,” wrote Mahendra Singh Dhoni in an August 15 Instagram post, a bombshell that was long speculated about but none quite knew when exactly it would drop.
Despite the last phase of his career not even close to being his best, Dhoni left a country devastated with that announcement.
But the year ends with hope that with the arrival of vaccines things would go back to the old normal instead of the world being forced to adapt to the new one. (PTI)
