Britain is one of few countries that have elevated the role of sports in society as much as Britain. The absence of large crowds during the pandemic was a constant reminder of the devastating effects of the coronavirus.

The steady return of fans in recent weeks and the promise that packed-out stadiums will soon follow the rapid rollout coronavirus vaccines have given hope that things are returning to normal.

More than 40,000 people attended Wembley Stadium on Tuesday to witness England defeat Germany 2-0 in round 16 of the European Championship. They certainly made their voices heard after Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling scored, and when they belted out Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” after the match.

As part of the government’s Event Research Programme, more than 60.000 people will attend the stadium in north London to witness the semi-finals and finals on July 6-7 and 7, and July 11, respectively. All ticket holders must present proof of a negative COVID-19 or two doses of vaccines.

While soccer is the No. Although soccer is clearly the No. 1 sport in most of Britain (for Wales it will always remain rugby), there are plenty of other sports available. Britain is widely recognized as the birthplace for many international sports including cricket, golf, and soccer. Even baseball.

It seems that every sport is loved at some point. The sporting calendar is the beat of Britain’s year.

Sporting contests are a backdrop to daily life in Britain, from the drunken and raucous New Year’s atmosphere at Alexandra Palace in London to the established feel of the Lord’s Cricket Ground summer test match and the post-Christmas soccer crowds. Sports can rival even meandering conversations about weather.

Even though sports resumed in June following the initial lockdown, they were not the same. The televising sports offered many a welcome distraction from the pandemic. However, the pandemic was not solved by televising sports.

Last year, some sporting traditions were not included on the calendar. These include the Wimbledon tennis tournament and the British Open golf course.

Wimbledon returned to Centre Court on Monday, after its break. There were 7,500 people there to cheer Andy Murray on to victory over Nikoloz Baskalashvili.

Although there are still social distancing regulations that restrict the number of people allowed to enter sporting venues, it is clear that those present make up for that time. The final weekend of July 10-11 will see a lot of activity at the All England Club’s hallowed court. This is part the government’s testing program.

The British Open, which will be held between July 16 and 19, at Royal St. George’s in south England, will be included in the government’s test events programme. Up to 32,000 people will be able attend each championship day.

The government has not yet found any coronavirus outbreaks in the tests that took place between April and May. These events included the FA Cup soccer final, music’s Brit Awards, and the FA Cup soccer final. There is evidence that recent events, such as the Euro 2020 matches in Scotland, may have contributed to the spread the more contagious variant of coronavirus.

Professor Lawrence Young, a University of Warwick virologist, warned that allowing 60,000 people to crowd into Wembley was a recipe for disaster.