When ‘the show’ cannot go on: An investigation into sports mega-events and responses during the pandemic crisis

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between sports mega-events and the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic. Focusing primarily on the 2020 Summer Olympics and Union of European Football Associations Euro 2020 in football – representing two mega-events that were postponed due to the pandemic – this article explores the emerging discourses from sport governing bodies, and how these organisations communicated their initial responses to the pandemic between February and May 2020. The article takes a digital qualitative research approach and draws upon frame analysed media sources and public communications. As it proceeds, this article first illuminates how global sports entered a temporary standstill and, second, how sport governing bodies positioned themselves with regard to responding to the global crisis from within the sporting sphere. Subsequently, this article emphasises how the relevant responses, as communicated by sport governing bodies, reflected the broader reactive and adaptive pandemic responses apparent within socio-political fields.

Os Jogos Olímpicos Pandêmicos: O Show “Negacionista” Tem que Continuar

“…Esses eventos cresceram em tamanho sendo acompanhado por uma audiência global. As mudanças na própria forma de se cobrir o esporte tornam os Jogos Olímpicos uma oportunidade interessante para se discutir as diferentes interpretações da pandemia (LEE, 2021).…”

“…Assim, no dia 24 de março de 2020 o comitê organizador anunciou que as olimpíadas seriam postergadas, tendo início no dia 23 de agosto de 2021, tornando o primeiro evento a ser disputado fora do ciclo oficial (LEE, 2021). No caso da Primeira e da Segunda Guerra, os jogos olímpicos haviam sido cancelados, retornando à normalidade após o fim do conflito.…”

Attending sporting mega events during COVID-19: mitigation and messaging at UK EURO 2020 matches

“…Sporting mega events (SMEs), defined as one-time international sporting events organized by a ‘special authority’ and generating high levels of media coverage ( Byers et al , 2012 ), potentially carry a high risk of infectious disease transmission and outbreaks because they generate large mass gatherings of people over a fixed duration ( Müller, 2015 ; Memish et al , 2019 ). When the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic in March 2020 ( World Health Organization, 2020a ), many SMEs were postponed or cancelled ( McCloskey et al , 2020 ; Parnell et al , 2020 ; Drury et al , 2021a ), as many countries had gone into lockdown, resulting in a ‘sporting standstill’ ( Lee Ludvigsen, 2021a ).…”

Sports-related leisure behavior in Alpine regions during the COVID-19 pandemic—A cross-sectional study in Austria, Germany and Italy

“…As a further measure to prevent an increase in the number of infections, countries around the world canceled or postponed major events such as conferences, concerts, festivals and sports events, and banned gatherings of more than a certain number of people ( 16 ). Major sports leagues in Europe, North America, and other countries ended their seasons early and big sports events were canceled or postponed, including the 2020 Summer Olympics and the UEFA EURO 2020, which took place in the same countries in 2021 ( 16 – 18 ). The suspension of professional sports was followed by events without spectators, which were referred to as “ghost games” ( 19 ).…”