Maraaz 
2020 passed with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic all over the world. The pandemic has also deeply affected the sports world. Many traditions in the world of sports have changed with the pandemic …
THE SPORTS WORLD HAS COME TO A STOP: The coronavirus pandemic, which took effect in the first months of 2020, stopped the sport. Competitions and tournaments in almost all sports branches have been postponed. After this wait for weeks, sports continued to exist again in various ways.
NON-FANS MATCHES: Matches without spectators were one of the events that marked 2020. Football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, Formula 1 and others… Sports competitions around the world were played without an audience. Some countries filled certain tribunes with a certain capacity, but this was interrupted from time to time. From the Champions League final to the NBA final, all matches were played behind closed doors, without spectators.
BUBBLE CONCEPT IN NBA: The NBA, which has one of the largest sports economies in the world, was alarmed after the pandemic. While the matches were not played for a long time, a new decision was made. All teams remaining in the play-offs continued the tournament behind closed doors at Disney World. In this concept called Bubble, while no team traveled to a different state, all matches were played in one region, without spectators and in accordance with the coronavirus criteria. Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship in Bubble season.
NEW ERA IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: The pandemic also affected the UEFA organizations. The Champions League and the UEFA Europa League have not been played for a long time. During the summer, the tournament resumed where it left off, but with a completely different concept … The place of the final, which should normally be played in Istanbul, has changed. Lisbon hosted the Champions League. The teams that continued on their way in the tournament played in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, starting from the quarter-finals. Bayern Munich reached the victory in the tournament played with a single match elimination method.
UEFA EUROPEAN LEAGUE: Like the Champions League, the UEFA Europa League continued with a single elimination method. The teams continuing on their way in the tournament shared their trump cards in Cologne, Germany with a single-match elimination method. Sevilla reached victory after beating Inter 3-2 in the final of the tournament.
POSTPONED ORGANIZATIONS: After the pandemic, many sports organizations continued to be played within the scope of measures and without spectators. However, some events were postponed and some were canceled. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed to 2021. EURO 2020 was taken to 2021 with a one-year delay. However, debates continue as to whether these events can be held in the summer of 2021.
PLAYER CHANGE REVOLUTION: One of the most important changes in the world of football after the pandemic was related to player changes. UEFA and FIFA allowed teams to make 5 changes instead of 3 in matches due to the pandemic. The 5 substitutions will last in the football world until the end of 2021. It is not yet known what decision will be made.
DISCOUNT ON PLAYER FEES: While the pandemic shook the world economy deeply, the sports economy also took its share. While the clubs were shrinking in the budget, this was reflected in the player salaries. Clubs around the world demanded a reduction in salary from players. Player salaries fell during this period, and there was a serious decrease in testimonials.
E-SPORTS INTEREST PLUSED: While physical sports activities came to a halt during the pandemic period, the new trend of the modern world increased the effect of E-Sports. Game and console sales have exploded around the world. In this process, while people were deprived of sports, they turned to E-Sports.
TRAINING TECHNIQUES CHANGED: In the post-pandemic normalization process, the sports world became active, but the habits and training techniques of the players changed. In the first place, sports clubs trained in a virtual environment. Later, with normalization, the fields were reached, but the training took place in groups within the framework of physical distance and determined rules. With the resumption of tournaments, more concrete steps were taken in normalization.
SPORTS HALLS TURNED INTO A HOSPITAL: While the whole world is fighting the pandemic, sports fields have turned into hospitals. All over the world, indoor or outdoor gyms served as hospitals in the fight against the pandemic, and countries were thus able to increase patient bed capacity.
CARDBOARD FAN PERIOD: While no spectators were taken to the stands due to the pandemic, sports clubs, which were affected economically and psychologically, went to an interesting practice. While the stands were equipped with cardboard fans, the clubs had the opportunity to earn some income. In some stadiums, fans’ voices were also given through loudspeakers.
SILENT CHAMPIONSHIPS: Due to the pandemic, the streets and stands were empty, people were isolated in the houses. The championships in sports organizations were also celebrated in the absence of fans. As Liverpool became the league champion after 30 years, its fans were able to celebrate this success online. All around the world, sports fans could not take to the streets in the victories of their favorite teams.
ATHLETES AND TRAINERS IN ISOLATION: Due to the pandemic in the sports world, many coaches and athletes were deprived of competitions. Regular coronavirus tests were performed on athletes, while positive cases were isolated for 14 days. In this period, Covid-19 positive names were added to the injured and suspended names. Sports teams had to play some matches with too many missing or without coaches. In some matches, teams with the majority of the team in quarantine were considered defeated by default.
