2021 sporting calendar: Euro 2020, Olympics and other big events to follow

After coronavirus played havoc with the 2020 sporting calendar, 2021 is rammed with big events to thrill and entertain.

Euro 2020, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a Lions tour of South Africa, a Rugby League World Cup in England and cricket's inaugural Hundred tournament are just some of the many highlights over the next 12 months.

The Euros start on 11 June and consist of 51 matches in 12 cities across Europe, with the highlight of the group stage coming on Friday, 18 June when England host Scotland at Wembley.

Wales, semi-finalists in 2016, have also qualified and are in the same group as former winners Italy.

The Wimbledon Championships make a welcome return on 28 June after being cancelled this year, with the men's final being played on 11 July, the same day as the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.

The following Sunday, Lewis Hamilton will seek to win a record-extending eighth British Formula 1 Grand Prix, golf's 149th Open reaches its conclusion at Royal St George's and Britain's new cycling star Tao Geoghegan Hart will hope to be crowned Tour de France champion.

Just five days later Tokyo will stage the opening ceremony of the 32nd Olympic Games, where Great Britain's athletes will seek to improve on the 67 medals — and 27 golds — they won at Rio 2016.

While the Olympics are in full swing, rugby union's British and Irish Lions will stretch every sinew in their quest to beat world champions South Africa in a three-Test series for the first time since 1997.

The Paralympic Games get under way in Japan on 24 August with the British team seeking to build on their incredible success in Rio four years ago when they came home with 64 golds and 147 medals in total, as well as second place in the medal table.

And if that's not enough