Editor’s note: This article is part of a series of newsroom diaries by various members of the Firstpost team. These diaries will provide you with the journalist’s recollections of a particular bit of news coverage in 2016 in which she/he was deeply involved. Here, Firstpost’s sports writer Nikhila Makker talks about the highs (and lows) of covering the 2016 UEFA European Championship: In a year that was filled with massive sporting events — right from the World T-20 to the Rio Olympics — there was one tournament that stood out for me: the Euro Championship. France hosted the event in June, and the time leading up to it was marred by terrorist attacks, and a volatile political atmosphere. However, once the event kicked off, it was one month of pure football madness. The extended 2015 format meant more matches, and more fun for the spectators. But it also meant more work for us on the sports desk! The matches were scheduled well past midnight in India, and we watched all of them live, tweeting and blogging every moment. Post-match, we’d have to provide analysis. On a personal note, Euro 2016 was a great learning experience for me as a sports journalist, especially because I got to cover an international sporting event in such depth for the first time. Now, I can’t wait for the World Cup!