Next year will see the biggest pile-up of sporting events we have ever known.
The headlines have rightly concentrated on the postponement of the majors - the Olympic Games in Tokyo, football’s European Championships, Wimbledon, The Open and of course the outcome of what is going to happen with the Premier League.
But the pile-up caused by the coronavirus for 2021 is much more significant than just those events.
Let me give you an example, which is by no means an isolated one.
For now, the World Swimming Championships are scheduled for July 16-August 1 in Fukuoka, Japan.
Yet those dates crossover with the re-arranged Olympics in the same country. The Games are now set for a start date of July 23 and a finish of August 8.
There has been talk that FINA, swimming’s world governing body, would hold the World Championships just after the Olympics. It means for the likes of, among others, Britain’s Adam Peaty, the pursuit of peaking for the two biggest events in the sport at almost the same time.
But this is only part of the picture.
For an athlete to qualify for major events, they need to take part in enough domestic or international qualifying events.
Take gymnastics, in which a competitor can qualify for the Olympics via their results in the numerous World Cup series throughout a year.
These events are been severely disrupted and are likely to be cancelled for the remainder of 2020, so they will need to be fitted into whatever time is available in 2021 alongside a European Championships in March and further domestic qualifying events.
Also consider that ordinarily a gymnast would want a minimum of an eight-week window to prepare for a major competition.
There is no way around it – it will be a logistical nightmare for athletes, coaches and organisers. Sponsors and advertisers will also face their challenges within this.
Whichever way you look at it, 2021 is going to have to see an unprecedented amount of collaboration between sports, broadcasters, sponsors and teams.
If they all fight for dominance, it will be a mess.
They are going to have to help each other and even share resources at times.
Will this be possible?
I hope so but I don’t doubt stress will cause the odd flare-up as well.
And please, no one even start to think about what happens if the current Premier League and Champions League seasons delay the start of the 2020/21 season.
Neutral venues the fairest way
I sympathise with Brighton and Hove Albion’s concerns about playing their remaining Premier League fixtures at neutral venues.
They’re two points outside the relegation zone and have home games versus Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United and Man City in their run-in.
Home advantage could be the difference between survival and the drop.
But I do think the Premier League's proposal is the fairest and safest overall.
