Hamburg Sportgala 2021 #digital

The corona year 2020 presented sport in Hamburg with a great challenge. People were unable to practise their sport in the usual way as, for most of the year, training and competitions were banned. Nevertheless, 41 sportsmen and sportswomen from Hamburg achieved national and international successes: they won German championships or picked up medals at European and world championships. For 15 years now, such achievements have been honoured at the Hamburg Sportgala, initiated by the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper and the city itself. In view of the current restrictions, the awards were held as a Digital Live Event for the first time and transmitted as a livestream from our City Studio in Hamburg.

"The Sportgala gives sport some of the visibility and recognition it deserves, particularly during the corona pandemic," said Hamburg's Sport Senator and jury member Andy Grote at the N&M studio on Anckelmannsplatz. "Many successes had to be celebrated in private. We are now making up for that in a digital format – proud and full of confidence that better times will soon be with us." Grote and the Sportgala's two presenters were the only participants present live in the studio – all other interviewees, award winners and those honouring them joined in via a video link we had set up. The initiators of the event made the best of the situation by taking the digital premier of the format as the occasion to have viewers vote for the "Team of the Year" for the first time, which they did by means of live voting. The jury selected each of the two individual winners from a field of three nominees.

Sportgala #digital was broadcast with two separate streams because in one of the transmissions, for which we generated the signal, all interviews with the guests were interpreted live into sign language from the permanently installed green screen. Furthermore, our City Studio was divided into two sets – one for interviews, one for the presenters. The gala had a tight schedule for interviews, whereby we realised 15 live link-ups within one hour. Even though infection rates were relatively high at the time, it was possible to hold the event safely as the City Studio has its own hygiene concept and all involved were tested.

In addition to top sporting achievements, the Sportgala traditionally also honours social commitment, with the city presenting the Active City Award. This time it went to ProQuartier, a Saga subsidiary, for its "move!" programme. In spring 2020, the municipal enterprise developed its "Balcony Sport" concept to bring fitness programmes to residential facilities with the cooperation of HSV, TSG Bergedorf and SV Eidelstedt. Approximately 10,000 tenants took part in around 500 activities.

Photos: Hamburger Abendblatt; Michael Rauhe