The NCAA is relocating 13 sites around the country scheduled to host preliminary rounds of the 2021 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament to a single geographic area due to COVID-19. The 2020 event was among the first major sports casualties of the pandemic when it was canceled on March 12.

2021 March Madness Plans

• NCAA is in “preliminary talks” with Indiana and the city of Indianapolis to host the 68-team March Madness tournament. 
• Indianapolis was already set to host the Final Four from April 3-5. 
• New plan is intended to limit travel and provide a safe and controlled environment for practice and game venues, medical resources, and lodging for teams and officials.

Early-round matchups were previously set to take place in Idaho, Texas, Michigan, Rhode Island, Kentucky, North Carolina, California, Kansas, Colorado, Minnesota, New York and Tennessee. 

Tokyo Olympics organizers are moving forward with plans to have spectators at the delayed 2021 games. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said that his organization and Japan are putting together a “huge toolbox” that includes the possibility of vaccinating Olympic athletes and spectators before the event.

If vaccines are widely available before next summer, the IOC would work with national Olympic committees to distribute it to athletes and carry some of the costs — but vaccination wouldn’t be a requirement for all participants, as has been speculated. 

Prior to the official delay of the games in March, Japan had expected approximately 600,000 foreign visitors and over 11,000 athletes to attend the 2020 event originally set to take place July 24 to Aug. 9. The new event will take place July 23 to Aug. 8, 2021. 

Exercise tracking and social sharing platform Strava has raised $110 million in a Series F funding round. The financing will go towards building more features and supporting the app’s global community.

Like many online fitness platforms, Strava has found success amid the COVID-19 pandemic as people look for ways to stay connected with their fitness communities. The app has also found a new use as a home for virtual races.

Strava by the Numbers:

• 70 million users across 195 countries.
• Added more than 2 million athletes per month in 2020.
• 94% of Strava users who set a goal remain active nine months later.
• Freemium subscription model with $7.99 monthly/$60 yearly paid tier.