Billions of people around the world woke up on Friday to a technology outage that disrupted flights, banks, media and a range of businesses.
The sports world also fell victim to widespread Microsoft outages linked to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
With numerous sporting events scheduled for the weekend, not to mention the 2024 Olympics preparing to welcome hundreds of athletes to Paris, the global unrest is causing quite a stir.
Let’s take a look at some of the sporting events and athletes that have already been affected.
WNBA All-Star Weekend
Indiana Fever guard Erica Wheeler was scheduled to play in the WNBA All-Star Weekend but her flight to Phoenix was canceled due to a power outage.
“Flight canceled 🙁 Hey there are no airlines that have flights leaving for Phoenix in time for the Skills Challenge!” Star commented to X.
The 33-year-old has been selected to compete in the WNBA Skills Challenge on July 19 against Phoenix Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner, Atlanta Dream’s Alisha Gray and Connecticut Suns’ Marina Mabry.
Fans are now calling for private pilots and charter planes to help, but time is running out for Wheeler, as the challenge starts at 6pm ET.
The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Kyle Okposo’s day with the Stanley Cup
Florida Panthers’ Kyle Okposo waited a while to hoist the Stanley Cup, but now he’ll have to wait even longer.
Due to a power outage, the Cup could not be transported by plane from St. Louis to Pagel Arena in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Okposo said she was “devastated” by the unfortunate news.
It was no surprise, as it was the veteran forward’s first Cup win in 17 seasons and helped the Panthers win their first championship.
No doubt the NHL world is hoping they can quickly reschedule a day when Okposo deserves to lift the Cup.
IT Services for the Paris Olympics
The blackout spread to the French capital during the Paris Olympics.
The tournament released a statement on Friday morning explaining how the IT services were disrupted.
The impact was limited, but there were concerns over the distribution of uniforms and certificates.
The statement said ticket sales and venue preparations for the 2024 Olympics would not be affected.
Paris 2024 has since issued a statement saying operations are now running as normal.
The system is back up and running, but the disruption is likely affecting travel to Paris.
Saskia Oettinghaus, a member of the German Olympic diving team, was among those who faced difficulties with air transport.
“We were on our way to Paris for the Olympics but for now we’re stuck here,” Ettinghaus said.
Other athletes and spectators heading to Paris were also delayed, according to the Associated Press.
With less than 100 days to go until the 2024 Paris Olympics, drone footage has revealed what the venues where some of the Olympic events will take place have been like.
Football club ticket issue
Widespread power outages have meant many football clubs across the ocean are unable to sell tickets for matches.
A number of league teams reported issues with their e-ticketing services, including Blackburn, Bolton, Bradford, Chesterfield, Huddersfield, Leyton Orient, Lincoln, Plymouth, Preston, Rotherham and Walsall, while Manchester United postponed the release of tickets until the issues were resolved and said the club’s website was down.
Portsmouth FC said the outage affected the sale and processing of tickets and memberships in person, over the phone and online.
