2020: A bittersweet year for sports

2020 has been a rough and rugged year. 

Covid halted major sporting events throughout the year. The year took away some prominent sports personalities as well. 

Still, some major records were broken all around the world. A long-awaited silverware for Bangladesh football did also bring some fresh breath of air in our lives. 

The Business Standard (TBS) takes a look at the most memorable events in local football and global sports from an eventful 2020. 

Tokyo Olympics postponed

Never before 2020 had any Olympic Games been postponed or cancelled for something other than war. But, 2020 did show us it all, the most unimaginable things being a reality. 

While a handful of sporting events got postponed due to the ongoing pandemic, Tokyo Olympics has to be the biggest of them all. The Olympics were originally scheduled to take between July 24 and August 9 this year.

The games have been rescheduled and will now begin on July 23 next year. 

The cost of the postponement for the Tokyo Olympics could reach about US$2.8 billion, according to the Tokyo Games organising committee.

Silverware for Bangladesh football after 17 long years

Covid halted Bangladesh football as well. Despite the long hiatus and all, it had some moments of joy in 2020. 

Bangladesh finally won a silverware after 17 long years of wait. They beat Nepal in Mujib Borsho Fifa International Football Series to claim the silverware in November this year. Goals from Nabib Newaz Ziban and Mahbubur Rahman Sufil sealed a 2-0 victory over Nepal in the first match which proved to be enough to bag the silverware before a stalemate draw in the second game. 

Bangladesh's last silverware came in the SAFF Championship in 2003 before this series. 

The 'GOAT' race intensifies as Nadal equals Federer's Grand Slam tally

When Federer overtook Pete Sampras by winning his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2009 - few thought he would ever be caught. At that time Nadal had won six majors and Djokovic had only one. This seemed to be a one-horse race. 

But, a decade later, Nadal has now equalled Federer's tally while Djokovic is just a few titles away. 

Nadal beat Djokovic in the final which landed his 13th title at Roland Garros in October. This moved him to level with Roger Federer's all-time leading men's tally of 20 Grand Slam victories.

Kobe Bryant's shocking death

The NBA Hall of Famer died on January 26 in a helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

Kobe was one of the most popular sports figures in Los Angeles and a celebrity around the globe. He had to be identified by his fingerprints after his body was found in the dirt outside the wreckage of the chopper.

Bryant was headed from Orange County to his daughter's tournament at his Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks on the morning of Jan. 26. The group included one of his daughter's coaches and two of her teammates.

The Undertaker retires

"My time has come to let The Undertaker rest in peace," The Undertaker announced his retirement from WWE on November 22 - the 30th anniversary of his Survivor Series debut. 

It was the moment many wrestling fans knew - and dreaded - was coming.

Mark Callaway, mostly known as The Undertaker debuted at the 1990 Survivor Series as the mystery man for Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar team.

He was mostly popular for his trademark entrance and moves during a battle. 

'The Baddest Man on the Planet' returns to the boxing ring

Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Mike Tyson returned from the rings back in 2005. 

Tyson traded lively punches with Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition match and showed glimpses of his destructive prime on November 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles  — more than 15 years after his last, inglorious fight. He quit on June 11, 2005, just before the start of the seventh round against journeyman Kevin McBride.

It was reported that Tyson smoked weed before his historic boxing return.

Lewis Hamilton makes history after 92nd Grand Prix win

Lewis Hamilton achieved a ground-breaking record in Formula One's history by breaking the record for the most Formula One Grand Prix wins by a driver on October 25. 

His win of the Portuguese Grand Prix was his 92nd Grand Prix victory, helping him to overtake racing legend Michael Schumacher's 91 wins. 

"I'm thinking of Michael today, I will forever have the utmost admiration and respect for you, it's truly been an honour to be mentioned in the same sentence as you..." Hamilton posted on his Instagram after the record-breaking win. 

2020 has been a fantastic year for Hamilton. It saw him smashing records left and right throughout the year. 

Badal Roy's death shocked our footballing community

A footballing legend, an accomplished midfielder for the Mohammedan Sporting Club during the 1980s, Badal Roy, was a successful football organiser as well. He lost after a long-fought battle to liver cancer on November 22.

A footballer of the highest talent during his time. Badal Roy spent 12 years with the 'black and whites' and had a five-year spell in the national team. He got engaged in the country's sports organisation after his retirement and became vice-president of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).

He ran for the BFF president post in the recent election despite his severe illness. 

Undefeated legend Khabib leaves UFC

In a sport that historically claims more from its combatants than it ever returns, where retirement is often forced against the will of one's fighting soul, Khabib Nurmagomedov chose to leave at the peak of his powers at age 32. He owned a gaudy 29-0 record at the time of his retirement. 

He technically lost only one round in his entire career (against Conor McGregor in 2018) in 13 trips to the UFC cage. Amazingly, he was also never cut or dropped.

Despite being handsomely rich throughout the tail end of his career, he never made it about the money. His focus, almost exclusively, was on building his legacy and giving back to his teammates and countrymen as a mentor. 

He was unflappable. He was dominant. And he might have been the best fighter UFC fans have ever seen.