Start of Euro 2020 football championship in Rome, Italy, kicks off return of large-scale sports events
- Italy was the first country outside Asia to be struck by the pandemic and the first in the world to implement a nationwide lockdown
- More than 1 million Europeans have died in the coronavirus pandemic and Italy was one of the worst-hit nations, with almost 127,000 deaths
Postponed by a year, the biggest sporting event since the coronavirus brought the world to a halt kicked off Friday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome – a milestone both for European and world sports.
The opening match of soccer’s European Championship was played in the capital of Italy, the first country outside Asia to be struck by the pandemic and the first in the world to implement a nationwide lockdown.
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.
The tournament was postponed last March when countries were scrambling to contain virus outbreaks and major sporting events around the world were cancelled or put on hold.