Euro 2020 starts with fireworks and balloons after year-long delay

Euro vision: Entertainers perform during the opening ceremony before the Turkey and Italy match at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. — AFP

ROME: The Euro 2020 championship finally got underway after a year-long delay with a colourful fireworks show and choreography featuring balloons representing the 24 teams in Rome’s sparsely populated Stadio Olimpico.

Only some 16, 000 fans were admitted for the opening match between Italy and Turkey, around 25% of capacity, after authorities kept a firm cap on attendance at the tournament due to Covid-19 concerns.