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Updated June 11th, 2021 at 19:34 IST

Fans gather in Rome for Euro 2020 opening match

Postponed by a year, the biggest sporting event since the coronavirus brought the world to a halt kicks off on Friday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome — a milestone both for European and world sports.

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Postponed by a year, the biggest sporting event since the coronavirus brought the world to a halt kicks off on Friday at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome — a milestone both for European and world sports.

The opening match of soccer's European Championship will be played in the capital of Italy, the first country outside of Asia to get struck by the pandemic and the first in the world to implement a nationwide lockdown.

Turkey supporters living in cities around Europe descended on the Italian capital for the match. Turkish nationals and supporters based in Turkey were not making the journey from Turkey due to Italy's required 10-day quarantine, but those living in other countries, such as Germany and Switzerland, were among the many enjoying a visit to the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum hours before the big opening match.

The tournament represents a major step forward on the path towards recovery after one of the darkest chapters in the continent's history since World War II. More than 1 million Europeans have died in the pandemic, including almost 127,000 Italians.

The tournament was postponed last March when countries were scrambling to contain virus outbreaks and major sporting events around the world were cancelled or put on hold.

Many worry that it's still not safe to bring tens of thousands of fans together in stadiums across Europe, but organisers hope measures including crowd limitations, staggered arrival times for fans, social distancing rules and lots of hand sanitiser will help prevent a resurgence of virus infections, which have dropped sharply in Europe in recent months.

In Rome, fans entering the stadium are required to bring documentation showing they have been vaccinated against the virus, tested negative in the 48 hours before the match or already had the disease.

 

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Published June 11th, 2021 at 19:34 IST

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