Behind the Scenes at the Olympic Games
In “Stadium Australia,” the largest outdoor stadium ever built for the Olympic Games at that time, two ASTROVISION screens were set up facing each other. In modern sports stadiums, large-screen displays are indispensable. At Olympic Games Sydney 2000 also, ASTROVISION screens were installed in a number of stadiums. It was also in Sydney that ASTROVISION presented a new type of sports entertainment. The giant screens caught on in popularity outside the stadium, in the city of Sydney.
The “Other” Olympic Stadium that Appeared in Town
In Sydney just before the start of the Games, six “Live Sites,” or large, free-of-charge entertainment areas, were established. At the center of each entertainment area, a large Panasonic ASTROVISION screen was set up to broadcast live performances and concerts. Of course, Olympic Games competitions were also televised live.
When the Games began, sports-loving Australians went wild with excitement seeing the performances of star athletes such as Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman.
As many as 19 ASTROVISION screens were used at Olympic Games Sydney 2000, across 16 locations including stadiums and Live Sites. In order to procure this, screens from around the world were rented and brought to Sydney.
The final day of the Live Sites. The spirited Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games was shown on the ASTROVISION following the live broadcast of the final Olympic Games event, the Men’s Marathon. Over the Sydney Harbor appeared a magnificent display of fireworks. With this, the Olympic Games Sydney 2000 drew to a highly successful close. However the parties at the Live Sites carried on. The finale of the “People's Games” was just starting.
“Live Sites” Continued to Invigorate Fans Following the Closing Ceremony
The main venue of the Live Sites was at The Domain, where the “Curtain Call Celebration Concert” was underway. The artists who had performed in the Closing Ceremony arrived from the Olympic Stadium. Popular DJs made an appearance, and people continued to dance until three in the morning as if reluctant to let the final curtain close on the Games.
Without ASTROVISION these places would have just been ordinary street corners or public squares, but instead, tens of thousands of people were able to share in the emotion of the Olympic Games and celebrate together. These pop-up Live Sites throughout Sydney featuring giant ASTROVISION screens, undoubtedly became the “other” Olympic stadium for the “People's Games.”
