Postponed by a year, the biggest sporting event since the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a halt began on Friday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome — a milestone for European and world sports.
The opening match of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament was played in the capital of Italy, the first country outside Asia to get struck by the pandemic and the first in the world to implement a nationwide lockdown.
Italy delighted the home fans by beating Turkey 3-0, getting all the goals in the second half.
Photo: AP
The tournament represents a major step forward on the path toward recovery after one of the darkest chapters in the continent’s history since World War II.
More than 1 million Europeans have died in the pandemic, including almost 127,000 Italians.
“After everything that’s happened, now the situation is improving, I think the time has come to start providing fans with something to be satisfied about,” said Italy coach Roberto Mancini, who tested positive for COVID-19 in November, but was asymptomatic.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The tournament was postponed in March last year when countries were scrambling to contain virus outbreaks and major sporting events around the world were canceled or put on hold.
Many worry that it is still not safe to bring tens of thousands of fans together in stadiums across Europe, but organizers hope that measures — including crowd limitations, staggered arrival times for fans, social distancing rules and lots of hand sanitizer — will help prevent a resurgence of virus infections which have dropped sharply in Europe in the past few months.
In Rome, fans entering the stadium are required to bring documentation showing that they have been vaccinated against the virus, tested negative in the 48 hours before the match or already had the disease.
The world of sports is watching.
If everything goes smoothly, Euro 2020 can give a confidence boost for other major sporting events — such as the Tokyo Olympics, which are scheduled to open on July 23.
If it does not, it would be a serious setback that could have ramifications beyond soccer.
“Let’s hope for the best,” said Alessandro Savelloni, a 36-year-old Roman having a beer with his wife at a street bar before the match. “We are coming out of a dark period. People need freedom. To return to normal life.”
The virus already has had an impact on the tournament, which for the first time is not being hosted by one or two nations, but is spread out across the continent, with matches in 11 cities.
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