This archive report was first published on 29 June 2021.
Published on June 29, 2021, as the Euro 2020 championship moved into the knockout phases, Russia's Saint Petersburg posted record Covid-19 deaths, fuelling concerns for the upcoming quarter-final match.
While wealthy countries have made significant progress in reducing infections through rapid vaccination drives, the Delta variant continues to spread rapidly across the globe, causing outbreaks in countries such as Bangladesh and South America.
The World Health Organization has warned that the Delta variant, now present in 85 countries, is the most contagious of any Covid-19 variant identified to date.
As a result, major sporting events, including the Euro 2020 tournament, are facing significant challenges in ensuring the safety of participants and spectators.
Despite the concerns, Russia's tournament organizers have confirmed that the quarter-final match will take place as planned, with spectator numbers capped at half.
However, Finland's health authorities have urged fans who returned from a Euro 2020 match in St Petersburg to seek testing urgently after 300 of them tested positive for Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Japan's Olympic chief, Yasuhiro Yamashita, has warned that there is 'no way' to ensure zero virus cases among athletes coming to the Tokyo Games, citing the example of two members of Uganda's team who tested positive after arriving in Japan.
As the pandemic continues to spread, officials are racing to vaccinate their populations, with thousands left stranded in Bangladesh's capital ahead of a sweeping new lockdown.
Thailand has also reimposed restrictions on restaurants, construction sites, and gatherings in the capital Bangkok and its suburbs due to a spike in infections.
And in South Africa, the death toll has passed 60,000, with patients in the third wave reported to be in worse condition than before.
