Can Foot and Mouth Threaten Europe’s Sport This Summer?
Can the return of a dreaded virus pull the shutters down on major European sports in 2025?
An empty parade ring and stands at Cheltenham during Covid-19 restrictions. Could a Foot and Mouth outbreak produce similar scenes? © Getty Images
Key Facts:
- The virus that stopped racing in 1967 and 2001 has been reported in three countries.
- Uncontained, a Foot and Mouth outbreak could threaten Europe’s biggest sporting events.
- Concerned Ireland is carrying out Foot and Mouth simulation exercises
- Three of the UK’s major summertime sporting events are preparing for a million attendees.
As Europe scrambles to minimise the economic damage caused by Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’, Roy Brindley looks beyond global politics to point out that the summer of 2025 might also be remembered as the year European sports ground to a halt.
Global markets are in turmoil, and unemployment and recession may follow. Typically, in times of hardship, people fall back on sports, taking comfort in supporting their favourite teams and competitors. This was the case for almost two years during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, in 2001, a catastrophe that cost the UK an estimated £8 billion brought many sports to a grinding halt. The Cheltenham Festival, British Rally Championship and Isle of Man TT were amongst the events that were cancelled. At the same time, Six Nations Championship matches were postponed and played months after their original date.
A Third March for Foot and Mouth?
The culprit was Foot and Mouth, an infectious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. It can spread rapidly through contact, contaminated equipment, or airborne transmission.
This biological event had struck before. In 1967, going into 1968, all horse and greyhound racing was cancelled in the UK and Ireland. This and the subsequent 2001 outbreaks were almost exclusively contained in the UK.
2001: Greyhounds walk over disinfected straw as they head out on parade at Walthamstow during the Foot & Mouth outbreak pic.twitter.com/mRppvpryj3
— Sports & Betting History by BestBettingSites (@BettingSitesCom) July 7, 2020
The virus can also be carried by humans and other animals that aren’t susceptible to the disease. Foot and Mouth is highly contagious. The source of the 2001 outbreak was a farm in Northumberland, and within days of its detection, Foot and Mouth was found as far away as the Isle of Wight and Devon.
Seas and Channels Offer no Safety
Alarmingly, 2001’s Foot and Mouth epidemic managed to cross the Irish Sea. There were cases in Northern Ireland, plus an instance in the Irish Republic. Such was the concern that the Irish Government cancelled Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade – worth €100 million to the economy in today’s money.
The English Channel also failed to act as a barrier. Foot and Mouth made its way to France, where two cases were reported. The Netherlands used vaccinations to halt the spread of the UK-originating disease, but ultimately, cases showed up on 25 farms.
The Dutch were forced to slaughter an estimated 250,000-270,000 animals. In total, over six million cows and sheep were culled on farms before the outbreak was eradicated. Forward wind 24 years, and there must be genuine concern that history is about to repeat itself.
Three Countries Have Confirmed Foot and Mouth Cases
“Foot and Mouth disease has now been confirmed in Slovakia; we remain in contact with our European counterparts to understand the latest situation,” said UK Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss in a March 22 Government statement.
The country was the third to declare confirmed cases of Foot and Mouth, following Hungary and Germany, prompting Middlemiss to add: “We have seen a disturbing number of foot and mouth cases on the continent, and we need to stay on high alert to the risk of disease incursion – as a government, at the border and on our farms.”
With multiple cases detected, Slovakia has since declared a state of emergency. Latest developments have seen Austria close two dozen border crossings with it and neighbouring Hungary. The Irish Government’s Department of Agriculture has confirmed it is carrying out Foot and Mouth ‘action plan’ simulation exercises.
Foot and mouth disease doesn't infect humans or pose risk to food safety but it spreads fast in cloven-hoofed animals.
To help curb the ongoing outbreak in Slovakia, the EU has helped deliver decontamination teams and equipment offered by Austria and Czechia.
🇸🇰🤝🇦🇹🇨🇿🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/O8gL8HwnRg
— EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid 🇪🇺 (@eu_echo) April 1, 2025
Is Sport on the Continent at Risk?
Should the disease spread across Europe as rapidly as it did in the UK back in 2001, a blanket ban on major sporting events on the continent must be considered possible. Events that could suffer and conspire to make 2025 a summer of sporting discontent include the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 in Switzerland.
Other events that could potentially suffer include June 2025’s UEFA Nations League Finals in Germany and the 2025 Tour de France. It is raced predominantly through ‘at risk’ countryside with an estimated 10 million people usually lining the route.
With two previous epidemics, the UK should be better prepared than other countries to tackle an outbreak of Foot and Mouth. But how would it combat its potential spread? And would sporting events be disrupted for a third time?
Showcase Sporting Events with Lots to Lose
Following its outrage that Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson allowed the 2020 Cheltenham Festival to go ahead – where 250,000 tickets were sold – the Labour Government may be more receptive to calls for a ban on mass congregation sporting events.
In a worst-case scenario, major sporting events that could be threatened this summer include Royal Ascot, which often entertains 250,000 customers during its five-day festival in the third week in June.
The 2025 British Grand Prix – scheduled for the first weekend in July – expects an attendance of almost 500,000 over its three days of action. A week later, at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland, organisers are already preparing for an influx of 250,000 attendees for Golf’s 153rd Open Championship.
