With most of us missing some sort of sport during the coronavirus lockdown, these brilliant images from 2020 will help you get your fix.
The Agora photo competition celebrates the world’s best sporting images of the year so far, and has just revealed the winning images from its latest online competition #Sports2020, where 8792 photos were submitted from all corners of the planet.
Vietnamese photographer @tuan1368 won the $1,000 top prize with an impressive aerial photo of a dragon-shaped boat competing in a traditional boat race.
Amateurs and professionals took part and the top 50 finalists were revealed on April 8. Then the public voted for their favourite images. Agora’s #Sports2020 contest gathered sports photos of all kinds, taken by photographers from 193 countries.
Speaking about his winning image, @tuan1368 said: ‘This is a boat racing festival held every two years in Son Tinh, Vietnam, a cultural tradition celebrated during springtime that the locals have been preserving for many years.
‘The racing teams are usually divided into four boats: the dragon, the unicorn, the turtle and the phoenix. It was quite a challenge to take this aerial photo with the sea’s high winds. I had to take a guess at the speed of the boat and choose the right angle to position my drone. I’d like to thank everyone who’s voted for my photo, it’s an honor to become the #Sports2020 Hero.’
The Agora photo competition celebrates the world’s best sporting images of the year so fa. Pictured: ‘Bodyboarder’ by Brandon Imbriale from the US shows a surfer riding the waves in California
‘Boat speeding up to finish the new year race’ by Vietnamese photographer @tuan1368 won the $1,000 top prize. It is an impressive aerial photo of a dragon-shaped boat competing in a traditional boat race
‘Never give up’ by @dandirahman from Indonesia was one of the top 50 finalists and his photo shows a cyclist competing for Iran
‘Follow through’ by @rileyhallaway from the US shows a man shooting basketball hoops on his own on a bright blue and green court
Amateurs and professionals took part in the photography competition and the top 50 finalists were revealed on April 8. Pictured: ‘Spirit of Sport’ by @juliuspram from Indonesia
‘Playing football’ by @ariefriyadi from Indonesia shows a boy playing football on a bright pink pitch. The entries for the competition came from photographers all around the world
Right: ‘Triathlon explosion’ by @bamperspectives from the UK shows people competing in a triathlon and splashing through cool blue waters. Left: ‘Girls can do it’ by @borsch, shot in Russia, shows a man and woman playing basketball on a multicoloured court in the middle of a housing block
‘Ice caving’ by @Aystein from Norway shows an explorer making their way through an underground chamber of ice as the light streams in
‘Jogging in the morning’ by @hariwibowo was taken in Indonesia and shows a group of runners dressed in yellow going for a run
‘Futbol como si fuera un juego de ordenador’ by @ajuriaguerra, taken in Spain, is an aerial shot of a player taking a penalty in a game of football
‘Running por la ciudad’ by @juliannieves from Spain shows a lone jogger running along the pavement. The photographs in the competition include a range of urban and natural landscapes
‘Sport’ by @birazhayalci shows a dancer in Turkey. Agora’s #Sports2020 contest gathered sports photos of all kinds, taken by photographers from 193 countries
Right: For the competition #Sports2020, 8792 photos were submitted from all corners of the planet. ‘Moving through the city’ by @hardingmicha was shot in Austria. Left: ‘Cross the bridge’ by @thanhtoanphotographer from Vietnam shows a cycling race across a bridge, as colourful competitors ride above the water
‘Terri Ayanna Wright’ by @alesigis from Italy. Terri Ayanna Wright is a New York City based dancer and here shows off an impressive jump
‘Kick it!’ by @dikyedarling, shot in Indonesia shows a boxing session as one of the athletes jumps in the air to perform an advanced move
‘Tennis’ by @banudiker, from Turkey is a close up shot of a tennis player warming up. The player’s blue trainers match the court colour perfectly
‘Surfing’ by @nataliacd, from Colombia, shows a surfer in a wetsuit tackle a huge wave as the sea comes crashing down around him
‘Karate kids’ by @joao.galamba win as taken Portugal and is a black and white piece showing a group of young children taking part in a martial arts class
Right: ‘Autumn rower’ by @erwindoorn was shot in the Netherlands and shows a boat making its way through a forest full of trees with golden autumn leaves. Left: ‘Brown tufa’ by @aska from Italy shows an impressive climber as he makes his way up the side of a muddy hill covered in jagged rocks
‘Sadurnil Betriu’ by @pinapli, from Spain shows an athlete focusing into the distance as a mirage effect plays out, creating an eerie reflection
‘Para Athletics’ by @hapelinium was taken in Indonesia and shows an athlete take on the running track in an event
‘Paralympic national event’ by @rrinaldy from Indonesia shows tow athletes taking part in a competition, fighting for first place
‘Skydiving’ by @roby_hartono from Indonesia captures the incredible moment a skydiver has just jumped out a plane but is still in line with the view from the door
‘Colorful Wrestling’ was taken by @somrajsahu from India and shows two male fighters wrestling in a bright pink and yellow ring
‘Luge World Cup 2020’ by @a.rosenthal from Germany shows a competitor making her way down the icy track to victory in the competition
Right: ‘Perfect place for flip’ by @panvelvet from Russia shows a skateboarder surveying the urban jungle in front of him before performing a trick. Left: ‘Peaceful morning yoga’ by @ducnaga was taken in Vietnam and features rows of woman taking part in a yoga class with different coloured mats
‘Cyclist’ by @pixsas from Germany shows a lone cyclist making their way along a road as the silhouette takes centre stage in the shot
‘Sunset yoga’ by @evablanco from Spain shows a man holding an impressive yoga position as the sun sets in the background fo the shot
‘Goyo fighting the Crux of Sultanes del Swing’ by @isabela_romero was taken in Venezuela and shows a man straining to climb up some rocks
‘Final Jump’ by @angelusagustinus from Indonesia shows two synchronised divers performing a jump as the spectators blur in the background
Right: ‘Best time to be with friends skateboarding’ by @originalrafa was taken in Brazil and shows a group of four skateboarders leaning over the camera. Left: ‘Handstand by the waterfall’ by @krisbianto.andy was taken in Indonesia and shows a man doing a handstand on the top of a waterfall
‘Bmx freestyle at the local skatepark’ by @dmartphoto from Spain shows a biker performing a trick in the air as the sun shines down
Left: ‘What goes up, must come down’ by @withchris from the UK shows a skier performing an impressive trick in the air as he stares into the camera. Right: ‘Keep Spirit’ by @cymot from Indonesia
‘The fighter’ by @rjbphotog from Barbados shows a man performing a martial arts move as the dust flies off his body due to the movement
‘The approach’ by @pascalpbz from France shows a golfer at the moment just after he has hit the ball into the distance in front of him
‘Rope Climb’ by @josecross.fit was taken in Spain. The photography competition had thousands of applicants that were narrowed down to a top 50
‘Off Piste’ by @philmdavis from the UK shows a snow boarder meandering his way down the piste in the bright sunshine
Right: ‘Skating through Boranup Forest’ by @blakehobson from Australia shows a skateboarder making their way down a road nestled in a forest. Left: ‘New ballet’ by @kirsimakov is a photograph that was taken in Russia and shows a couple of dancers stretching as they lean on one another
‘Psicobloc’ by @victordevalles from Spain shows a brave climber hanging off a rock above the open ocean. The winning photo was voted for by the public
‘Kids play football in a small stadium’ by @phamhuytrung was taken in Vietnam and shows a group of boys playing football as their shadows stretch across the pitch