The Japanese Olympic Committee has always held encouragement ceremonies to show support for the Japanese national team competing in the Olympics. However, it became difficult to hold an actual gathering as in the past due to COVID-19. Furthermore, public opinion in Japan was divided into the pros and cons of holding the Olympics amid the pandemic, and many athletes felt unable to take part in the Games with their heads held high. The challenge was to empower the athletes participating in the Olympics in a situation where supporters and athletes cannot interact with each other.

Due to COVID-19, Public opinion in Japan was divided into the pros and cons of holding the Olympics amid the pandemic, and many athletes felt unable to take part in the Games with their heads held high. In response, on July 6, 2021, we held TOKYO 2020 Virtual Encouragement Ceremony, a first-ever virtual ceremony that brings athletes and supporters together in a virtual world. The National Stadium, the main venue for the Tokyo Olympics, was created using digital technology on a 3D space to create a symbolic space for athletes and supporters to gather. To unite the hearts of athletes and supporters, The digital national stadium was used as a stage to deliver realistic cheering words and cheering figures from all over Japan to the athletes. The event also featured LIVE performances by national artists, messages of support from the public, and performances.

In the digital national stadium, As many as 584 Olympic athletes were connected at the same time and appeared in real time on the live streamed virtual stadium. The performance symbolized the light of hope, using ribbons and flags with the latest LED technology, handwritten messages of support from the public were displayed inside the virtual stadium. The messages were like light spots to encourage the athletes that were difficult to deliver through the COVID-19. Also, at the climax of the ceremony, surprise guests, nationally acclaimed artists, appeared in the stadium. Using state-of-the-art Japanese volumetric capture technology, they were digitized and brought athletes, supporters, and viewers together in the virtual stadium with their powerful voices.

A total of 582 athletes participated, a 70% increase from the previous record attendance.

With the live streaming, 1.2 million people, 400 times more than the real event, attended the Virtual Encouragement Ceremony in real-time and delivered their words of support.

The best result of all was that the athletes, seeing the cheering voices of the people, shed tears of joy.

The flags that we presented at the encouragement ceremony were voluntarily brought by the athletes to the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

As a result, Japan's athletes won a record 58 medals. They also won a record 27 gold medals.

The people who supported the athletes were also encouraged by their performance. Even though we couldn't see them in real life, we succeeded in lighting the light of hope in the hearts of the athletes and the world with the power of the latest technology and ideas.