What Euro 2020 in a Covid-19 world will look like for football fans, sponsors and broadcasters February 9, 2021 Euro 2020 is scheduled to take place across 12 European cities in June and Covid-19 will mean changes to the way major sporting events operate. Hygiene protocols, new technology solutions and fan behaviours will emerge that present both challenges and opportunities for brands and rights holders. Safety is paramount Any British fans who do physically [...]
Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton signs new contract with Mercedes – but only for one year February 8, 2021 Lewis Hamilton has finally ended speculation over his immediate future by signing a new contract with Mercedes. The move comes just weeks before the Formula 1 world champion is due to begin his seventh title defence in Bahrain on 28 March. Hamilton’s last contract expired at the end of last season and was reported to [...]
Cutouts, twice-daily tests and no Budweiser adverts: How Super Bowl LV has had to adapt in a pandemic February 6, 2021 Some things about Super Bowl LV will be reassuringly familiar, like the star-spangled razzmatazz and Tom Brady. But Sunday’s game between last year’s winners the Kansas City Chiefs and Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers will also be different to the 54 previous editions. The NFL has had to adapt its season finale for the Covid-19 era, [...]
Photography award celebrates animals in lockdown February 6, 2021 One of the few things some of us have been able to take solace in during the last 12 months is the natural world. Whether it’s foxes in the back garden, parakeets in London’s green spaces or a domestic cat in a high-rise flat, animals have provided us with an escape from the drudgery and [...]
Sport on TV: How to watch India v England, the Six Nations, Liverpool v Man City and Super Bowl LV in the UK February 6, 2021 What better way to beat the lockdown blues than by gorging on a feast of sport on TV? Answer: none. And this weekend’s fare is the most abundant yet this year, with an England Test series on terrestrial TV, the first round of the Six Nations, a Premier League title showdown between Liverpool and Manchester [...]
Ollie Phillips: Improving France will dethrone Six Nations favourites England – and empty stadiums will help Les Bleus February 6, 2021 It’s easy to see why England have been installed as the favourites for the Six Nations, which starts this weekend. But they aren’t my tip. Yes, England are the holders, having prevailed in an interrupted 2020 championship that finally concluded in October. They then won the Autumn Nations Cup, beating France in the process – [...]
WandaVision Episode 5: Huge reveals in biggest episode yet February 5, 2021 ** Warning: This review contains spoilers for the current episode of WandaVision ** Last week’s WandaVision welcomed us back to the real world, where we met the real Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and saw organisation SWORD’s attempts to breach Wanda’s (Elizabeth Olsen) reality. We’ll admit, it wasn’t our favourite, becoming a bit of a familiar [...]
Best of travel: The town made famous by Bruce Springsteen February 5, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. This week we revisit Laura Millar’s trip to the downbeat seaside town in New Jersey made famous by Bruce Springsteen. Read more: Jaguar XF P300 review: revitalised luxury at a surprisingly low price ••• On the boardwalk of [...]
Alistair Brownlee interview: Olympic triathlon champion targeting world’s first sub-seven-hour Ironman and golden hat-trick in Tokyo February 5, 2021 Alistair Brownlee did his first triathlon aged eight and trains three times a day, almost every day. Friday is “easy day”, when he swims and works out in the gym. When he’s not training, he enjoys riding his mountain bike. “I don’t like sitting still,” he says. The reigning Olympic triathlon champion will harness that [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Fenerbahce step up attacks on beIN; CVC serves up $300m volleyball deal; London pipped by Big Apple; Qatar sales record; Man Utd February 5, 2021 Conflict is in the air at Fenerbahce – and not just because they face rivals Galatasaray in the Istanbul derby this weekend. Mesut Ozil’s new club have embarked on a bizarre crusade against broadcaster beIN Sports, accusing it of conspiring against the club by manipulating VAR and choosing camera angles or highlights that show them [...]