
World Triathlon Hamburg 2020: Producing an event in the COVID-19 era By SVG Staff
Monday, September 21, 2020 - 10:21
Print This Story
World Triathlon's yearly Triathlon series, held in seven different countries across multiple races, has seen its 2020 season greatly impacted due to Covid-19: all races were cancelled, except for the Hamburg event, the 2020 World Triathlon World Championships and the 2020 Mixed Relay World Championships that were held on 5-6 September 2020.
Infront Productions, broadcast partner of organising authority World Triathlon and host broadcaster of the Hamburg races, therefore had to reorganise several key aspects of the coverage to be able to uphold the new sanitary standards and guarantee the safety of athletes and crew.
Ultimately, we can't let these COVID-related restrictions hamper our coverage. Our work is to make sure we turn this situation into a positive and find solutions to allow fans to enjoy the return of sports on their screens.
For World Triathlon it was of paramount importance to have our first event after the pandemic being broadcast with the same excellent quality as always, even considering the challenging circumstances faced in Hamburg. And it was a great pleasure, and an absolute success to see that all the efforts we have made were worth it, said World Triathlon president and IOC member Marisol Casado.
The production team, both from Infront Productions and World Triathlon, on-site was flexible and creative, finding solutions to last-minute issues. We managed to show the world that the sports community is prepared for the so-called new normality' and events can happen on a safe and healthy mode, but still showing the athletes compete at their best. It was one of the best TV productions we've ever made.
Practical Impact
The production of the 2020 World Triathlon Hamburg races was impacted practically as the event was moved from its traditional location in the centre of the city to the fenced-off and controlled environment of the Hamburg Stadtpark. This decision was taken to ensure that COVID-related restrictions were abided by, with only athletes and working personnel (including the TV production team) present in the surroundings. No spectators were allowed in the cordoned off sections of the park.
In terms of on-site organisation, camera operators and staff were following social distancing measures put in place, such as wearing the mandatory mask at all times and using plexiglass within the OB van to proof all the positions, explained Julien Bertin, head of Infront Productions France and project manager for the event.
When it came to interacting with the race's participants, the production team also amended their usual procedures to make sure social distancing was implemented. Interviews of the athletes were done using a boom from a distance, to ensure the participants' safety, he added.
Editorial Impact
The practical changes also impacted the coverage of the event from an editorial point of view, with several key modifications made to ensure the quality and variety of the production were upheld despite sanitary restrictions.
Due to the change of location, using a traditional coverage set-up with a helicopter providing an aerial perspective was not possible, as the Hamburg Stadtpark is a densely wooded area.
We chose to use a live drone to replace the helicopter views, which allowed the production crew to film the start, the transition and the finish line, thus enriching the race coverage with these aerial shots, explained Bertin.
The production relied on coverage from motorbikes and fixed cameras along the race course to ensure the narrative of the competition was conveyed (gaps between groups, trailing, dropping or resurgent athletes).
The lack of spectators, as well as the absence of Hamburg downtown shots also meant that the focus of the coverage was fully on the race. In order to maintain a certain level of variety and heighten the storytelling, the production supplemented shots of the race with the insertion of more graphics and replays.
We added graphics to keep the viewer abreast of constant gaps, identifying groups and the performances of athletes, reflected Bertin.
The insertion of replay sequences of key race facts was also used in order to consistently recap what was happening to make sure that the audience could follow the race situation at any time.
Commentators had a key role to play to compensate the lack of Hamburg sights and fans shots to bring the audience even closer to the action, and they elaborated the focus on the routine the athletes observed in lockdown, or how they trained. They also shared a positive message, marking the return of sports and sports competition.
Ultimately, we can't let these COVID-related restrictions hamper our coverage. Our work is to make sure we turn this situation into a positive and find solutions to allow fans to enjoy the return of sports on their screens, concluded Bertin.
The 2020 World Triathlon World Championships and the 2020 Mixed Relay World Championships took place in Hamburg on 5-6 September 2020.
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
15/06/2025
July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London
Photo: Thea Martre
Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...
15/06/2025
Composer/producer launches free virtual instruments
Sulcata Sound is the latest venture of Jason Graves, a two-time British Academy Award-winnning composer,...
14/06/2025
NEW YORK Pluto TV and the All Womens Sports Network have launched a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) AWSN channel in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and the Nor...
14/06/2025
NEW YORK and CINCINNATI E.W. Scripps has announced a new, multiyear agreement with the WNBA that will continue Ions regular-season coverage of the league on Fri...
14/06/2025
WASHINGTON The National Association of Broadcasters highlighted the hidden importance of spectrum in the production of major sporting events and described wha...
14/06/2025
WASHINGTON Sunsetting ATSC 1.0, expanding business opportunities for NextGen Broadcast and increasing international adoption of the ATSC 3.0 standard were top o...
14/06/2025
SAN FRANCISCO Samba TV and Acxiom have announced that they will dramatically expand their longstanding relationship....
14/06/2025
July 2025 in Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam & London
Photo: Thea Martre
Music Production for Women (MPW) have announced that they will be running a series of fo...
14/06/2025
San Francisco State University's School of Cinema Uses Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 13, 2025
0 Comments
More than 40 Blackmagic Design came...
14/06/2025
Boris FX Mocha Pro Adds New AI Tools To Tackle VFX Tasks Fast
Jessie Electa Petrov June 13, 2025
0 Comments
The 2025.5 release helps artists work more...
14/06/2025
AJA Debuts DRM2-Plus Mini-Converter Frame at InfoComm 2025
Brie Clayton June 13, 2025
0 Comments
Next-gen frame addresses diverse rackmount needs wit...
13/06/2025
(L-R) Lindsay Utz, Michelle Walshe, and The Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Prime Minister at Eccles T...
13/06/2025
Photo credit: Atsushi Nishijima
If you're a true lover of rom-coms, chances...
13/06/2025
Pure Drama and Fierce Rivalries set to dominate the world's most iconic spor...
13/06/2025
Johannesburg, 12 June 2025 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
13/06/2025
ABILENE. Texas A severe storm knocked down the tower and severely damaged the news studio and main facility of Sinclair-owned KTXS here on Sunday, June 8....
13/06/2025
Berklee's Music Business/Management Department Recognized by the Music Biz A...
13/06/2025
WASHINGTON The ATSC, the Broadcast Standards Association, honored veteran technologist Aldo Cugnini and Clarence Hau, Senior Vice President of Standards, Policy...
13/06/2025
(Editor's note: The 2025 UFL Championship Game between the D.C. Defenders and Michigan Panthers kicks off Saturday, June 14, at 8 p.m. Eastern. The game wil...
13/06/2025
New iPad/iPhone synth App announced
Following on from last year's release of Gradient Synth - which reached #6 on the App Store's Paid Music charts ...
13/06/2025
LONDON Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that HBO Max will launch direct-to-consumer in multiple new countries this July as the streamer becomes available in...
13/06/2025
AI voice transcription and captioning platform Verbit has added a new feature to its Captivate ASR solution the ability to identify specific features in automat...
13/06/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission member Anna Gomez has wrapped up two weeks in California visiting broadcasters, television studio executives, enter...
13/06/2025
WASHINGTON The U.S. House of Representatives voted mostly along party lines to approve a rescission package that would cancel $9.4 billion in previously approve...
13/06/2025
At InfoComm 2025, AJA Video Systems announced DRM2-Plus, an intuitive, high-capacity 3RU frame that can neatly house up to 24 AJA Mini-Converters. Tailored to s...
13/06/2025
Cinema advertising leader to leverage AOS and suite of AI-enabled solutions to optimize forecasting, yield management, and streamlined ad sales and operations a...
13/06/2025
Manfrotto has launched the ONE Hybrid Tripod, a new support system designed specifically for professional content creators working with mirrorless cameras acros...
13/06/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that its Media Edge Gateway (MEG), an ATSC 3.0 software-based IRD, now supports Device Security requ...
13/06/2025
LiveU, the global leader in live IP-video contribution, production and distribution solutions, is deepening its commitment to the German-speaking market with th...
13/06/2025
Chaos, the leader in architectural visualisation software, today announces Chaos Corona 13, giving archviz designers new ways to add eye-catching style and flai...
13/06/2025
PALI's Nena Music Video Shot with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton June 12, 2025
0 Comments
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K and DaVinci Resolve Studio b...
13/06/2025
OddBeast Powers Up iRobot's Newest Roombas with Suite of CGI Launch Assets
Brie Clayton June 12, 2025
0 Comments
The motion design and production ...
13/06/2025
On Chick Coreas Birthday, a Newly Uncovered Archival Release The Visitors, composed by Corea and performed by vibraphonist Gary Burton and pianist Kirill Gers...
13/06/2025
In fulfilment of a recommendation by the Government's Expert Advisory Commit...
13/06/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Backblaze's Gleb Budman Talks Products, Partnerships, and the ...
13/06/2025
SVG Sit-Down: DAZN's Walker Jacobs Calls Streaming the FIFA Club World Cup ...
13/06/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Vecima Networks' Paul Strickland on How Improving QoE...
13/06/2025
Pitch Perspective: Where's Next for Specialty Cameras in Soccer? Leaders from Sky Austria and ACS discuss the possibilities of camera placement pitchside B...
13/06/2025
Premiership Rugby Final 2025: Vintage clash between Bath and Leicester gets full...
13/06/2025
Premiership Rugby Final 2025: TNT Sports gears up for Bath vs Leicester battle w...
13/06/2025
NCAA Men's College World Series: ESPN Adds Two-Point SupraCam, Invests in Ne...
13/06/2025
New FSWX signal and spectrum analyzer with novel architecture overcomes limits o...
13/06/2025
Apple today announced the addition of iPad to Self Service Repair, providing iPad owners with access to repair manuals, genuine Apple parts, Apple Diagnostics t...
13/06/2025
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today previewed iOS 26, a major update that brings a beautiful new design, intelligent experiences, and improvements to the apps use...
13/06/2025
At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple unveiled Apple Games, an all-new destination designed to help players jump back into the games they...
13/06/2025
Industrial AI isn't slowing down. Germany is ready.
Following London Tech Week and GTC Paris at VivaTech, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang's Europea...
12/06/2025
In 2018, Spotify launched Heart & Soul, a mental health initiative developed to ...
12/06/2025
50 Years Strong: SBS and NITV Supercharge NAIDOC Week 2025 in a joint 50th celeb...