SVT and Infront set a new standard for sustainable event TV production at Åre 2019
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All the emotions, adrenaline, excitement, joy and disappointment are conveyed through the international signal transmitted by Infront/SVT as the event’s host broadcaster (HB), a partnership between Infront Sports, the TV and marketing rights holder of Åre 2019, and SVT, Swedish National Television.
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To enable 53 hours of live coverage from Åre, a total of 155 SVT staff are involved in the production. What’s different about Åre 2019 is that it can fit in a rear hatchback car and uses less power than an average house in Sweden in a year (12 000 kWh).
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Infront/SVT’s production concept sets a new standard in the broadcasting of major sports events. Instead of the traditional methods, SVT decided to execute Åre 2019 as remote production. This means that the 2019 Championships have the most environmentally friendly TV production in history.
Remote production offers various benefits. Instead of the traditional solution of two semi-trailers running on diesel fuel and providing power for on-site production in Åre, most production is done in SVT’s offices in Stockholm powered by renewable energy, with diesel generators only as a back-up in the (unlikely) event of a power failure.
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The 76 cameras on the competition slopes in Åre are also very energy-efficient. Previously, more than 125 amperes of voltage were required to power the production of the international signal with a diesel generator providing a 24/7 back-up. Event the technical power still needed on-site in Åre is run entirely on Ecopar, a low CO2 fuel alternative.
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In addition, there are 25% fewer SVT staff on-site in Åre as 35 of them are working back in Stockholm instead. This leads to a reduced carbon footprint in terms of travel, accommodation and other emissions.
The smaller amount of equipment on the slopes also makes it much faster to pack up. The equipment used for at Åre 2019 will be transported to Östersund where the IBU Biathlon World Championships 2019 will begin on 7 March. The transfer is expected to take 1-2 days as opposed to weeks previously.
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Thanks to the enhanced fiber capacity on the slopes jointly installed by SkiStar, Åre 2019 and SVT, and an expanded fiber network provided by Telia, the delivery of wonderful images from Åre to audience around the world operates with much less power.
SVT is pushing the bar much higher with the HB operations at Åre 2019 and they are indeed already looking into a future with even more sustainable production options.
- If Sweden were to host the Olympic Winter Games 2026, we are ready and experienced to deliver TV production in the most effective and sustainable way possible. The remote production of Åre by SVT is a massive step closer to cloud production which is likely to be possible in near future, added Adde Granberg.
Shiffrin winner in tight Ladies Super G race
Winner Mikaela Shiffrin stated that she was quite surprised to see the green light in the finish area and that she didn’t expect to top the leaderboard in her first event already. “Even though I made a small mistake towards the end of the course, I felt how well the skis were going and I thought that I still had a chance to finish very fast. Whatever my serviceman put on these skis today, I’ll tell him to do more of that for the next races”, Mikaela laughingly told the gathered press.
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Dominant Paris closed ranks and claimed super G gold in Åre
Instead, Italian Dominik Paris, Italy, set the bar high. Wearing bib number three, Paris took the lead and his performance turned out to be the fastest of the day. In the end the top three athletes all ended up within nine hundreds of a second of each other. The battle for second and third place ended up being between Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr and Frenchmen Johan Clarey who, after the conclusion, came in with the exact same time.
Gold for Stuhec - Vonn came in third in her last Downhill
“It was not a bad run, not at all, Stuhec said, laughing, and continued: “I still have to gather all my feelings because I’m quite emotional so it might take a while”. The Slovenian speed queen was away for most of the 2018 season due to an injury but has made a comeback and is showing stellar shape. “None of what happened before actually matters because it’s a new day and a new chance. We all start from zero and it’s the same for everyone. I just do my best and apparently it was good enough”.
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Norwegian double: Jansrud’s first gold, Aksel’s farewell, and an Austrian love story
Thanks to tireless, amazing work by the slope crew all night and morning long, the men’s downhill course was race ready at the planned start time 12:30 CET. However, the snowfall began anew, and combined by fog led to two 30-minute delays. No wonder that the fans in the full-packed grandstand were thrilled when the stadium announcer Roberto Vacchi finally confirmed that the race would begin at 13:30 CET.
Pinturault finally golden in alpine combined
Pinturault, who has been in stellar shape this winter, was 24thafter Run 1, 1.52 behind Paris. In the slalom finish, he took the lead from Stefan Hadalin who had the fastest slalom run. He ended up spending a long while in the leader’s chair watching his competitors fail to beat his time. Finally, it was the Frenchman who clinched gold.
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Alpine Team Event - when the joint efforts count
The team event is given an extra dimension by being, well, a team competition, where it’s the joint performance that ultimately counts. In the team competition the teams race each other in heats, this tends to get the adrenaline flowing in many skiers and teams.The races will be close with loads of action, where the result isn’t decided until the last race has been run. As a spectator, you have an absolutely unique opportunity to experience the entire race from start to finish. You are really close to the riders, you can hear the edges of their skies grasp the snow, see the races lines and actually feel the races through your entire body.
Can anyone beat Shiffrin in the Åre 2019 Giant Slalom?
– The ladies' course is in great shape. It has such a great base and we have been out early this morning together with SkiStar to water the surface which is now smooth and nice. We are happy and confident that we will have a great race, said the Ladies' Race Director Toni Franz. The ladies will start off the final part of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Åre on Thursday, 14 February, on the slope of Gästrappet. Even though Shiffrin is certainly one of the main contenders for the gold, there are others who will put up a good fight. Tessa Worley is the reigning giant slalom world champion from St Moritz 2017. Petra Vhlova of Slovakia has been in stellar shape this season and won the last giant slalom event before the Championships.
Four-peat for Shiffrin or first Worlds gold for Olympic champion Hansdotter?
The ladies' slalom might become a genuine thriller, even though the reigning many-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin has showed great form throughout the season and dominated the World Cup with six wins in the slalom. Her super-G gold and GS bronze at Åre 2019 show that the 23-year-old from Vail, Colorado remains in great shape.
Hirscher's amazing race secured an Austrian triple
The goal was to achieve an individual medal and while it was nice that the team won a medal, this means more to me, said Michael Matt who was also part of the Austrian team that won silver in the alpine team event.
Marcel Hirscher did not make any mistakes. He pushed hard at the start of the 2nd run, gliding through the second part a little easier and finished 0.65 seconds ahead of Matt. Marco Schwarz thus won bronze, Michael Matt silver and slalom king Marcel Hirscher gold, for the third time, making him equal to Ingemar Stenmark. The two are the only male alpine skiers who have won three World Championships titles in slalom.
Åre 2019 Inspired the World to Ski
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Åre 2019 concluded Sunday, 17 February, with the men’s slalom competition and the closing ceremony. To officially mark the end of the season’s highlight event in Åre, Sweden, the local organizing committee handed over the flag of the International Ski Federation (FIS) to the organizers of the 2021 World Ski Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Since the opening ceremony on 4 February, the 14 days of the Championships have seen 11 new world champions crowned after fantastic performances on the demanding slopes on Mount Åre.