How Tokyo 2020 has changed the Olympics forever

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics drawing to a close, it is abundantly clear that the shape this global event will take from now on has changed forever. Nonetheless, this is something to be celebrated: it shows that the Games can, and have, evolved – just like the event’s critics have long demanded. Indeed, these Olympics have been the most technologically advanced ever, both in terms of management on the ground and audience entertainment the world over. While the Olympics have long held a reputation for innovation in sports production, this year has been a steeper learning curve than usual. In order to contain the Covid-19 virus, domestic and international spectators have been barred from attending the events, making comprehensive coverage all the more important.

The Olympic Broadcasting Services’ (OBS) production of this year’s coverage has included several exciting changes. For one, Intel and Alibaba launched 3D Athlete Tracking (3DAT) technology that utilises AI and computer vision to allow analysis of biomechanical data for athletes and their coaches. Fans, too, have had access to real-time data, gaining insight into how athletes have performed throughout the competition.

In the same way, on-demand immersive panoramic coverage, virtual 3D graphics and multi-camera replay systems have all helped beam the Olympic Games into the homes of spectators like never before. Between additional Multi-Clip Feeds (MCFs), fast-turnaround sports highlights, short-form and mobile-generated content, the OBS delivered a record 9,500+ hours of content to rights holders’ platforms between July and August.

A new focus on technology

This extensive use of technology, alongside reduced in-stadium audiences, has helped pave the way for a substantially less carbon intensive Olympics tradition going forward. The carbon footprint of the Tokyo Games have previously been estimated to exceed 2.3 million metric tons of CO2, equal to annual emissions from around half a million cars. The decision to bar overseas visitors helped cut emissions by an estimated 12%, with the bulk of reductions coming from cancelled international flights.

On top of this, the Tokyo Games have donated nearly twice the volume of carbon offsets as the event itself has generated, including electricity consumption, building construction, travel by athletes, down to the recycled metal used to manufacture medals. Renewable energy has provided the majority of all power used throughout the Games, and food services were expected to adopt reusable materials when serving customers.

Better yet, Tokyo’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond the closing ceremony. Fixtures and technology that are no longer needed will be sold and transferred in bulk to vendors for reuse or recycling, and organizers have committed to a target of reusing or recycling 65% of all waste generated throughout the games. For this reason, recycling and separating waste has been described as the “new normal” when planning the logistics of Olympic Games.

Increased climate consciousness

Moreover, the organizers of the next Olympics in Paris are already following this lead. In fact, the Paris 2024 Board of Directors have committed to staging a climate-positive Olympics Games and Paralympic Games. Where previous Summer Games have emitted an average of 3.5 million tons of CO2, Paris 2024 has capped its estimated emissions at 1.5 million tons. This number will then be offset in its entirety, on top of an additional “positive climate contribution.”

“There’s a politics of spectacle in which every event has to be bigger and flashier,” explains Olympics sustainability researcher Sven Daniel Wolfe, “we need a radical rethink of how the games are run if we want them to be compatible with our definition of sustainability.”

While the idea of physically present spectators may soon become obsolete due to advancements in technology, empty grandstands are by no means an unprecedented phenomenon for the more niche Olympic sports. For archers and shooters, the dominating sound of Japanese cicadas was to be expected, while the peace and quiet was a welcome relief for other competitors. For those watching at home, it was soon clear that this new, travel-free paradigm necessitates that the Games become more accessible to more people around the globe, regardless of their economic status.

Dawn of a new era?

The Games will likely become more inclusive in a different way, too. Tokyo 2020 has broken new records in terms of female and minority athletes: several major nations sent more women athletes than men to the Games this year, and three openly transgender athletes competed on the international stage. The medal tally is reflective of a more equal Olympics, with smaller countries continuing to punch well above their weight compared to their larger, wealthier counterparts.

There is little doubt that the modern Games have come a long way from their origins at the turn of the last century. If this year’s generation of Olympic athletes is indicative of professional sports norms in the near future, the industry and its fans would only be so lucky.

Tokyo’s new format and innovations, no less because of the adverse conditions, is ringing in a new era for the Olympics. It is an era more streamlined, immersive and sustainable, but without taking away anything from the spectacle.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes