New spectator experiences realized for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games won the Excellence Award at the Digital Signage Awards 2022

Last year (2021), NTT took on the challenge of re-creating the experiences of watching sports games at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games using the ultra-realistic communication technology Kirari! NTT won the Excellence Award in the Digital Signage Award 2022 (sponsored by the Digital Signage Consortium).
　During the COVID-19 Disaster, there were situations where it was challenging to meet everyone at the venue. We re-created the experience of watching the sailing, badminton, and marathon games as if you were at the venue of the games, even if you were in a remote location. In the sailing event, we used 5G to transmit competition video in real-time to a 55-meter wide vision screen over the ocean. The experience was like watching a race from a special seat on a cruise ship. In the badminton competition, only the players and shuttles were extracted from the competition video and displayed holographically on a full-scale reproduction of a remote court. The realism of the game was conveyed directly to the audience, providing an experience as if they were watching the game at the actual venue. We connected the competition venue (Sapporo) and the cheering venue (Tokyo) for the marathon race via ultra-low latency. We kept delays as close to zero as possible. We provided a spectator experience that created a sense of togetherness, even at a distance.
　The consortium presented the award to NTT for its efforts to provide a sense of presence in remote locations.

[Sailing] 55m ultra-wide display floating on the ocean

[Badminton] Holographic display environment of players and shuttles on a full-scale reproduction of a court.

[Marathon] Display connected by ultra-low latency communication

Award-winning Achievements

<Excellence Award> Creating New Spectator Experiences for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

(Reference) Digital Signage Award 2022

https://digital-signage.jp/openevent/award/2022front/

(Reference) Values of new spectator experience at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

[Sailing] In a transmission of a sailing competition using 5G, we floated a huge ultra-wide image on the sea. The image, the sky, and the sea were fused. We provided a sense of presence as if the entire space had been warped.

NTT release: https://group.ntt/jp/newsrelease/2021/07/01/210701a.html

[Badminton] For live coverage of badminton, images of players and shuttles transmitted from the competition site are projected holographically onto a full-size court reproduced at a remote location. It is as if the players are competing in front of your eyes.

NTT release: https://group.ntt/jp/newsrelease/2021/07/29/210729a.html

[Marathon] For the marathon transmission, we tackled the issue of delay. Even if a remote cheerleader sees the runner's video and cheers, the runner will already run too fast in a normal delay environment. The joys will not reach the runner. By reducing the delay to zero as possible, Tokyo provided a sense of presence as if the runners were running right in front of them. In Sapporo, it was as if the spectators were standing along the roadside cheering for the runners.

NTT release: https://group.ntt/jp/newsrelease/2021/08/07/210807a.html