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Cycling fans will soon have access to a first-of-its-kind virtual world that will enable them to engage with each other, the riders and the sport like never before, as the world’s first immersive UCI Track Champions League metaverse experience launches. Through a landmark partnership between Infinite Reality (iR) and the events division of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, the metaverse experience utilises Web3 technology to bring a wealth of on-demand content to fans worldwide. It will provide an innovative way for new and existing audiences to deepen their understanding of track cycling and its athletes.
FANS CAN MEET THE BEST TRACK CYCLING STARS
Following a successful metaverse preview and further development of the platform since the end of the 2022 season, the new experience will be available in full for fans to enjoy from Friday 10th November, leading up to the two final rounds of the UCI Track Champions League in London, UK. Following the race, former UCI World Champion Matthew Richardson and reigning Olympic Champion Kelsey Mitchell will take part in the first live meet and greets, where fans will have the opportunity to discuss their recent performances face-to-face, in real-time, wherever fans are in the world.
REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY PUTS CYCLING ON TRACK FOR EVEN GREATER FAN ENGAGEMENT
Set within a virtual velodrome and purpose-built event village, the metaverse provides fans of the exhilarating track cycling racing format with an unprecedented set of new immersive features to explore:
- Public and Private Lounges: Gives fans who are unable to attend the velodromes in person the chance to meet and interact with each other during races.
- Live Biometric Rider Race Data: Within the live broadcast, heart rate, cadence and power will be displayed to demonstrate the intense physical output of the riders.
- On-Demand Content: Catch up with on-demand race highlights and exclusive content, including Back On Track, the official docuseries following the riders during Season 1, and learn about the history of track cycling.
- Customisable Camera Stream: Be your own director and go trackside or behind-the-scenes in the velodrome with up to eight live camera feeds to choose from during race evenings, including a dedicated fee that will connect the fans with an exclusive metaverse reporter that will present a behind-the-scenes program with exclusive interviews for the metaverse viewers.
Fans will be guided through the metaverse every virtual step of the way with intuitive device navigation, map teleportation and dynamic camera selection enabling full control of each customisable avatar that fans can create.
Recent studies from National Research Group (NRG) support the continuing trend of fans increasingly seeking deeper connections with their sports. Its data shows that more than half of sport fans (53%) believe technology plays an important role in their experience and that 78% use a second device while consuming live sport.
The UCI Track Champions League launch of its first-of-its-kind metaverse experience provides new fan engagement opportunities and supplements the live television and streaming race experience with coverage distributed globally.
Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “The 2023 UCI Track Champions League has been incredible and fans around the world have already been enjoying the live action from packed velodromes and via our far-reaching broadcast coverage. It is the perfect time to launch this unique new metaverse experience to capitalise on the heightened awareness and participation in the series to engage fans on an even deeper level. We’re particularly excited to allow fans the opportunity to meet Matthew Richardson and Kelsey Mitchell face to face as well as unveiling a range of new innovative virtual features. This is just the start and we’re confident this new experience will take the sport even further into the future to support the continued growth of track cycling.”
Francois Ribeiro, CEO, Europe, Infinite Reality, said: “We are proud to play a pivotal role in delivering a new, interactive, and deeply immersive environment, unlike any other metaverse experience, to the UCI Track Champions League. This milestone solidifies Infinite Reality as pioneers in the sports industry and paves the way for an unparalleled experience that fans can access anywhere from their mobile devices to attend, watch, interact, socialize, learn, or shop remotely.”
The new UCI Track Champions League metaverse experience is accessible via iOS smartphone or tablet. Fans can take part by downloading the UCI Track Champions League-Verse from the Apple App Store to complete a simple free registration process. Android and Desktop versions are coming soon.
The opportunity to meet Matthew Richardson and Kelsey Mitchell will take place at 18:30 and 19:30 GMT on Friday 10 November, and 17:00 and 18:00 GMT on Saturday 11 November during Round 4 and 5 from London.
