The world is a big and busy place with many sports matches and tournaments happening all the time in many parts of the world. At the moment it is winter in the southern hemisphere and summer in the northern hemisphere.
There are some major news items happening right at this moment in the sports world, here are just a few of the top stories for sports enthusiasts.
Fanless Olympic Games
The 2020 Olympics games are finally set to take place in Tokyo in July 2021. These much-awaited games were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic that closed borders in 2020. While they may be very delayed, the games are still going ahead with the opening ceremony happening on 23 July 2021. While the games may be going ahead, they have taken a different rendition than what happened before.
This year’s Olympics will be fanless as Japan made the decision to close the doors and enforce a stricter lockdown to stop the potential spread of the COVID19 virus. While this may sound like a good decision from a health standpoint, one also needs to factor in the loss of revenue this would create for the host country.
The estimated costs of the postponement alone are estimated at $3 Billion, this is before you factor in the cost of hosting the games or the lack of revenue from having no spectators or international tourists. This has caused tremendous strain on the local Japanese economy.
Barcelona Loses Griezmann, Coutinho, and Dembele
The well known, well supported football club, Barcelona has recently gone through some financial trouble. The once strong and rich club has had to curb its spending, especially in the salary department.
Barcelona is recognized for having some of the best and most expensive players in the world. While this has made them one of the top European football clubs, it also means that they have one of the biggest wage bills. This is not the position you want to be in when a global pandemic hits and cash generation slows down.
While star Lionel Messi seems to be safe, many other players including Antoine Griezmann, Coutinho and Dembele are in the firing line. The club needs to make significant cuts to ensure its solvency. This may lead to these stars and potential others getting cut.
Evian Championship
The Amundi Evian Championship has the golf community on the edge of their seats. This highly competitive tournament, held in France, is the tournament to watch at the moment.
World number one, Nelly Korda, has had a rough start to the tournament with three over 74. She capped this with an embarrassing air shot on the final hole. Korda will need to make some significant improvements to avoid leaving early in her first tournament as world number one. This score led her to be nine shots off the pace in the opening parts of this tournament. Yealimi Noh and Pajaree Anannarukam currently share the lead on 65.
Emily Kristine Pedersen had a good start to the tournament when she carded a 65. She is looking to secure her place in the Solheim Cup through a good performance at the Amundi Evian this week.
Jade Dernback Set to Leave Surrey After 19 Years
Former England seam bowler Jade Dernback is set to leave the Kia Oval after 19 years with the club. The 35 year old player has said he is looking to explore other options, citing lack of playing time to be a major factor of his departure.
The seam bowler has been restricted to only playing T20s in the past three years and has spent time on loan during the blast competition.
The 35 year old player has played 35 T20 internationals and has helped Surry win the Country Championship in 2018 and the CB40 Trophy in 2011.
While the player is leaving, he is doing so on good terms thanking the team for the years, saying it has been his home for the best part of 20 years.
PSG Looking at Pogba
Paul Pogba is one of the most well-known players at the moment. The French midfielder, who plays for Manchester United, is in his final year of contract with United. While he is in talks over a new deal, many clubs including Paris Saint-Germain are expressing interest in the player joining their side.
While there have been no official bids as of yet, Pogba has stated that he would like to access all his options before making a decision. We wait to see what will happen over the next few weeks.
