2021 has been the year where sport has bounced back onto our screens after an awful year of Covid-19 breakouts and cancelled events. We’ve already seen football’s Euro 2021 take place successfully, and other sports are keen to follow suit and get fans back in venues to bring back a sense of sporting atmosphere.
If you prefer to take in the big occasion from the comfort of your own armchair, then an action-packed sporting calendar is in store for you.
Here are five of the best events you can watch on TV this summer and beyond.
British Open (golf)
The 2021 Open Championship starts on Thursday, July 15th after a two-year absence. It’s Royal St. George’s turn to host the event; the 15th time for the picturesque venue in Kent, southern England.
While past Open champions Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth will be among the favourites, many people are tipping 2019 winner Shane Lowry for a repeat triumph, despite being a 40-1 outsider.
The women’s event comes along in mid-August as the likes of Sophia Popov and Hinako Shibuno compete for the trophy at Carnoustie.
It means over a week’s worth of British golfing coverage for armchair fans, who will be glad to hear the thwack of a tee-shot coming from their screens once again.
The Olympics
The first cancelled Olympics in 76 years last year sent shockwaves through sport. Several years of hard work went up in smoke for athletes around the world, and the host country Japan suffered a huge financial loss.
Thankfully, the event will go ahead from the 23rd of July onwards and you’ll be able to view all of the action on BBC and ITV. Team GB, buoyed by funding from the UK lottery, will be hoping to improve on their best-ever haul in 2016, but they’ll face stiff competition from the likes of USA and China, like always.
There are concerns that many athletes from developing countries will be at a disadvantage with the strict quarantine restrictions upon arrival, as they don’t have the same facilities as rivals from richer nations. The absence of fans from other countries could also mean the event suffers from a subdued atmosphere.
Cricket England vs India five-day test series
India begin their six-week tour of England in an eagerly anticipated test series. Viewers will be able to see action from Trent Bridge, Headingley, Edgbaston, The Oval and Lord’s and it marks the third and final series of a busy year of action for England, who have already faced Pakistan and Sri Lanka on home turf, as well as visiting India for a series of tests, One-Day Internationals and T20 games.
The hope for England fans is that their team can build up momentum before heading to Australia for The Ashes this winter, but India will prove a stubborn test. Cricket fans could have some nail-biting tests coming up.
British Lions test series vs South Africa (rugby)
The first Lions tour since their 2017 trip to New Zealand holds much excitement for British rugby fans. Just two locations will hold the eight matches, however: Gauteng and Cape Town are the chosen ones, as organisers attempt to minimise the risk of disruption caused by the pandemic.
The last trip to South Africa ended in defeat in 2009, but the Lions will take solace from an inspiring draw against the All-Blacks last time around, as they attempt to repeat their heroics of 1997.
Viewers can catch all the action on Sky Sports ‘Lions’ channel, a pay-per-view service solely dedicated to the exploits of the British all-star team.
US Open (tennis)
The 2020 Open was one of the few tennis events to go ahead in 2020, but no spectators were allowed to attend, and the list of players was dramatically weakened by the withdrawal of Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, and then the disqualification of Novak Djokovic for firing a tennis ball off a line judge in frustration.
Austrian Dominic Thiem took advantage, though, beating Alexander Zverev in the final. He’ll find the big names standing in his way in the 2021 event as a full line-up takes to Flushing Meadows.
Naomi Osaka, too, will be hoping to build on her victory at the 2020 event after a troubled year in which she has battled with mental health issues.
As the world battles its way out of the pandemic, it’s heartening for sports fans to see so many sporting events on the calendar. Whether the winning shot of a tennis tournament or the goal that wins a trophy, the sights and sounds of sports have been missed. 2021 could be known as the year that sport made a comeback.