A PICTURE is worth a thousand words… but no one image could even come close to telling the full story of 2020.
As the world was plunged into the biggest health and economic crisis of a generation, sport took it upon itself to reintroduce some form of normality.
With spectators penned into their homes, iconic venues became vast, empty caverns where each star’s rallies and cries were heard like never before.
Champions were still crowned but not all were of the traditional sort, with eSports heroes carrying the mantle like never before to satisfy the most basic fans’ urge – of having something to watch.
But while kings and queens found their own way to mark their inevitable rise, legends were lost in the most heart-wrenching of ways.
Here, SunSport takes you through our photos of the year.
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From the time before the world stopped… A packed Rod Laver Arena takes in January’s Australian Open semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Roger FedererCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Orange wildfire smoke hangs heavy over San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park home following California blazes in September – with no fans present to see itCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and coach Andy Reid react to the NFL side’s first Super Bowl win for 50 years in FebruaryCredit: AP:Associated Press
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A scene from Ecuador’s annual Llama racing event in Los LlanganatesCredit: AP:Associated Press
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LA Lakers center Dwight Howard hangs off the basket after scoring for the eventual NBA championsCredit: AP:Associated Press
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NASCAR team owner Richard Petty puts an arm around Bubba Wallace, the sport’s only black driver, the day after he found a noose left in his garage at Talladega SuperspeedwayCredit: AP:Associated Press
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A Bolivian youngster dons a facemask while skating in indigenous clothing as part of the ‘Skate Imillas’ groupCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Just one of several memorials dedicated to the tragic passing of basketball legend Kobe Bryant in FebruaryCredit: AP:Associated Press
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LA Dodgers fans watch their team march to World Series supremacy from a drive-inCredit: AP:Associated Press
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A spectator peers over his balcony to watch Rayo Vallecano’s match with Albacete in Spain’s Segunda DivisionCredit: AP:Associated Press
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IndyCar racer Tony Kanaan practices on his sim setup with motorsport wiped out in the early months of the pandemic Credit: AP:Associated Press
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Lucas Hernandez takes the facemask guideline to a new level after Bayern Munich’s Champions League crowningCredit: AP:Associated Press
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A facemasked Rafa Nadal celebrates his French Open win in NovemberCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Athletic Club’s famous home San Mames – which translates as The Cathedral – watches on empty for a match with Real MadridCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Cardboard cutout fans are lined up for a New York Mets baseball gameCredit: AP:Associated Press
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The year that took so many from us took one more legend in its final weeks – as a fan in Buenos Aires mourns the passing of Diego MaradonaCredit: AP:Associated Press
From Caroline Flack and Barbara Windsor to Sean Connery and Maradona – we bid a final farewell to those we lost in 2020
