2020 in review - the sports year in pictures

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2020 in review - the sports year in pictures

COVID and the deaths of Kobe Bryant and Diego Maradona...

Published: December 21, 2020 13:47 Matthew Smith, Sport Editor and Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor

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Copy of 2020-12-01T010317Z_881157882_RC21EK99BQNZ_RTRMADP_3_OLYMPICS-2020-RINGS-REINSTALLATION-1606819761477 — The coronavirus pandemic played havoc with the sporting calendar in 2020, with the Tokyo Olympics arguably being the biggest victim. The biggest sporting extravaganza in the world was postponed by a year and will now be held in Japan in July-August 2021. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Wimbledon — Many other sporing events fell victim to the COVID-19 outbreak, with tennis' Wimbledon, golf's British Open and football's European Championships all halted. The Open and Wimbledon were cancelled outright, and the Euros will now take place in the summer of 2021. Image Credit: AFP

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Liverpoool's Jurgen Klopp during the loss to Atalanta in the Champions League — Football across Europe ground to a half for months - the league seasons in France and Scotland were never completed. Thankfully, the other major leagues, including the Bundesliga in Germany, Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A and England's Premier League were all belatedly completed. The big winners were Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool as they secured a first-ever Premier League title. Image Credit: AFP

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Cardboard fans in the stand for Borussia Moenchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen — Clubs across Europe came up with innovative ideas to create an atmosphere when the action resumed, with piped-in crowd noise and cardboard cut-out fans to make up for the lack of supporters as matches were played behind closed doors. Image Credit: AFP

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Stars pay tribute to Kobe Bryant at All-Star game — The NBA was rocked by the sad news of LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's death in January. The All-Star was killed along with his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash on January 26. Image Credit: AP

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Diego Maradona at Napoli — Football had to come to terms with the passing of Diego Maradona. The Argentine star of Mexico 86 passed away in November after a cardiac arrest. Image Credit: AFP

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West Indies captain Jason Holder — Cricket took unprecedented steps to ensure international matches took place, with England setting up 'bio-bubble' environments for their series against West Indies and Pakistan. Image Credit: AP

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Trent Boult of Mumbai Indians bowling during match 10 of season 13 of the Dream 11 Indian Premier League (IPL) between The Royal Challengers Bangalore and The Mumbai Indians held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the 28th September 2020. Photo by: Saikat Das / Sportzpics for BCCI — The Indian Premier League was a big success story, as it was moved from India to the UAE and belatedly played over a two-month period in the autumn. Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals in the final to claim the crown. Image Credit: Saikat Das / Sportzpics for BCCI

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Lewis Hamilton has been outspoken on racial issues this year. — Lewis Hamilton was among the sports stars to make outspoken statements and make a strong stand against racism. Image Credit: Reuters

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West Indies players take a knee against England — The Black Lives Matter movement grew throughout the year, with many teams across the broad spectrum of sports taking a knee to show their support for ending racism. Image Credit: Reuters

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Rafael Nadal won the French Open for a 13th time — Rafael Nadal did what he does best by claiming an incredible 13th French Open title at Roland Garros in Paris. He thumped Novak Djokovic in the final for his 20th Grand Slam title. Image Credit: AP

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Turkish Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton 2020 — Lewis Hamilton capped a fine year with his seventh Formula One Drivers' Championship title. The Mercedes man shattered records to cement his place as one of the greatest drivers of all time. Image Credit: Agencies

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Liverpool fans young and old are celebrating a first Premier League title — And Liverpool created their little piece of history by romping to the 2019-20 Premier League title. Image Credit: AP

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Copy of 2020-08-23T213215Z_1382332364_RC2XJI9PC0Z6_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-BAY-PSG-REPORT-1598236069452 — Bayern Munich went one better with a treble-winning campaign. They won the Bundesliga title, the German Cup and Champions League - defeating Paris St-Germain in the final in Portugal, after thumping Barcelona 8-2 in the semis. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James — LeBron James and the LA Lakers won the NBA Championship in Orlando, defeating Miami Heat in the best-of-seven final showdown, for their first crown in 10 years and their 17th overall. Image Credit: AFP

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Lee Westwood in action at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai — Lee Westwood won golf's Race to Dubai title, thanks to his triumph in Abu Dhabi and second-place finish at the European Tour's season-ending DP World Tour Championship. Image Credit: Supplied

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