Olympics: Japan athletes, fans connect on social media “video calls”

Olympic fans are being given a chance to connect virtually “one-on-one” with their favorite winter sports athletes through short simulated video calls posted on social media by the Japanese Olympic Committee.

One video gives a rare glimpse of men’s snowboard halfpipe gold medal winner Ayumu Hirano in an unguarded and relaxed moment, with his masked face appearing on screen after the watcher is prompted to answer an incoming call.

“Hi there, can you hear me?” he says, holding up the gold medal hung around his neck.

“I won a gold medal at the Olympics. It’s something I’ve always wanted as a child so I’m happy I got this. Talk to you later,” he says.

The JOC has been posting similar videos featuring Olympians including figure skating stars Yuzuru Hanyu, who finished fourth in the men’s event, and Shoma Uno who won bronze. Ski jumping phenom Ryoyu Kobayashi, who won gold on the normal hill and silver on the large hill, also dials up.

Hirano’s video, which was released on Sunday, has been viewed more than 300,000 times on the JOC’s YouTube channel and played more than 1 million times on its Instagram account.

The videos give fans what feels like an intimate phone conversation with Japan’s Olympic heroes and they are jumping into the comment section to show their gratitude. One user wrote, “Thanks for your call,” while another wrote, “I feel like I’m friends with him.”

There is a limited attendance at Beijing Olympic venues due to pandemic security and athletes are being greeted by half-empty stadia, but technology is going some way to make up for that by helping fans and athletes bond via their devices.

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