The first leg of the 2021 Racketlon Champions League has been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
It was due to take place on June 25th at the VITIS SportCenter in Zurich, Switzerland. However, due to ongoing uncertainty, it will no longer take place.
The 2021 Champions League may still take place as a unique, one-day tournament later in the year, although a full decision on that will be made by the FIR later in the year.
What is the Racketlon Champions League?
The FIR Champions League is a unique team tournament that typically takes place every season. It historically involves a number of teams organised by one captain, competing to be crowned champion.
How the teams are formed is the creative part. All players interested in competing register for a Champions League Draft. From there, the captains then pick which players they want, one-by-one until they have built their team in the always-exciting Live Draft.
In the past, the Champions League then takes place across two days throughout the year. It begins as a group competition before the best teams qualify for a semi-final and final to crown the champion. In 2019, Sportyfriends Copenhagen lifted the trophy, captained by world No.1 Morten Jaksland.
Alongside the Champions League’s top flight, there is often a second division. This is used to accommodate players of all abilities, in keeping with all racketlon tournaments having a number of different categories.
What will happen to the 2021 Racketlon Champions League?
This year’s edition was supposed to take place across two legs; the first in Switzerland and the second in France.
However, with continuing uncertainty over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the decision has been made to cancel the first leg. The IWT Swiss Open, scheduled to take place from June 25th-27th, is still due to go ahead as planned.
So what does this mean for the Racketlon Champions League in 2021? As of right now, we cannot confirm whether it will go ahead this year. The FIR team are looking into ways to allow it to take place in France in October. If it goes ahead, it will likely be played in a revamped format to accommodate it happening over one day instead of two. However, alternatives are also being investigated.
As always, we promise to keep the racketlon community updated with regular news about the Champions League and FIR World Tour as a whole as the year progresses.
Keep up to date with all the latest news by following the FIR on Facebook and Instagram.
Stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you all on a racketlon court again soon.
Sam Barker / FIR Media Officer
