TOGETHER WHILST APART: HOW TOKYO 2020 IS TACKLING A LACK OF SPECTATORS

29 July 2021

Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together. The Olympic motto recognises the unifying power of sport and the importance of solidarity, and whilst we cannot all be together at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, a series of online initiatives have been launched by Olympic Broadcasting Services to show our athletes support during the XXXII Olympiad.

The Athlete Moment allows Olympians to connect with their families and friends virtually, to celebrate their most precious Olympic moments and once-in-a-lifetime experiences at the Games.

Athletes from selected sports – including Sport Climbing – are invited to share a private url with up to five individuals or groups of loved ones at home. Families and friends can then join one another via video call to cheer for the athlete whilst they compete and afterwards, to celebrate together, even though physically apart.

Turning these special moments into memories, the footage will then be distributed worldwide on TV and online, allowing fans around the world to share the experience and emotion.

Athletes can apply to participate in the Athlete Moment here

Spectator support and fan reactions are an essential element of sport, so with a lack of onlookers at the Olympic Games this summer due to COVID-19, Tokyo 2020 offers a fan engagement suite which enables viewers to interact with the Games from home.

Fans will have the opportunity to cheer virtually for climbing’s first Olympians from 2 August on the International Federation of Sport Climbing website. Supporters can ‘cheer’ as many times as they desire, seeing their cheers light up a world map in real-time. The map will appear on the Aomi Urban Sports Park scoreboard during the Olympic Sport Climbing events, so that climbers can feel the support from around the world within the venue, in spite of no spectators being present.

Those watching remotely can also submit a five-second video from the digital cheer zone, sharing encouragement and reactions from all corners of the globe with those inside the Olympic venues.

In addition to being available on the IFSC website during climbing’s Olympic debut, the cheer zone is accessible on olympics.com for the entirety of the Games.