RTÉ Sport

2020 was extremely challenging for sport, as the onset of Covid-19 all but wiped clean the sporting calendar, nationally and internationally. The major European soccer tournaments, the Olympics and the GAA championships were all postponed, leading to multiple logistical, editorial, financial and scheduling difficulties. While sporting archive moments provided a well-received distraction, they are no substitute for live sport. To the credit of the sporting organisations, they adapted to the prevailing circumstances and made contingency plans.

From difficulty comes opportunity, and never was this truer than in 2020. In the absence of crowds and fans, the streaming of sporting events became the best option for some organisations. The coming together of the FAI, the GAA and RTÉ allowed for the WatchLOI service to evolve and bring over 80 League of Ireland matches to spectators. This evolved into streaming of GAA league and championship matches to a domestic as well as an international audience. RTÉ Sport was at the centre of this public service exercise, and it is a source of immense pride that it fulfilled its remit in this manner.

Key moments across the year were acknowledged with dignity and respect, none more so than the Bloody Sunday commemoration at Croke Park, against the backdrop of the curtailed GAA championship. The moving and dignified service marked a significant historical and cultural milestone.

2021 promises to be challenging in every sense, from the financial to the global dynamics that will be at play. We stand ready to embrace that challenge.