
Rugby shows how fragile elite sport is to COVID-19
Another prime example closer to home is Ireland Women’s 15. 2021 is a massive year for women’s rugby as the 2021 World Cup set to take place in New Zealand. The team’s preparations have been set back multiple times this year already. The Irish Women are yet to qualify for the World Cup and the final qualification round was due to take place in 2020. The Qualification Round has been postponed to a later date in 2021. On top of this, the Six Nations have also been postponed to a later date.

With the calendar being pushed back, it is set to be a relentless year. Sport Endorse are following the developments closely as there is a wealth talent in the squad including Eimear Considine and Nichola Fryday.
COVID-19 has also effected men’s rugby. With rumours of the Guinness Pro 14 season scrapping the newly formed Rainbow Cup and returning to a playoff format. Internationally, the EPCR has been forced to postpone all European Rugby Cup due to the French clubs dropping out of the tournament. Luckily, though the men’s Six Nations is going ahead. Sport Endorse star James Lowe has been selected for the upcoming tournament, where he will look to build on his Ireland Men’s Rugby debut in November.

A second chance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
By far the largest event to fall victim to COVID-19 was the 2020 Olympics. The announcement sent shockwaves around the world and it affected elite athletes all over the globe. Whether the announcement was a positive or negative is dependent on the athlete and their personal circumstances.
For example, Sport Endorse athletes Liam Jegou (C1 Canoe Slalom), Jack Wooley (Taekwondo) and Nhat Nguyen (Badminton) are making the most of it. Using the enforced lockdown as a chance to train for an extended period time. Their hard work is paying off as Liam qualified for the games with a gold medal at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup last year (A first for Ireland), Jack has qualified and is the first Irishman to compete in Taekwondo at the Olympics and Nhat has recently been selected for the FBD ‘Make a Difference’ Programme. The programme aims to financially assist Irish athletes on their journey to the Olympics. Nhat is currently sitting in a qualification position for the games. Nhat is ranked 25th out of the 38 qualification places available.
Check out Liam Jegou’s winning run at the Canoe Slalom World Cup below!
