“The Roma 2024 Metaverse will allow us to intercept a new target audience for athletics and engage the younger generation. Thanks to this project, everyone will be able to participate in the European Athletics Championships, transcending space-time limitations.” This was explained by Paolo Carito, managing director of the EuroRoma 2024 Foundation, during the presentation of the project developed together with XMetaReal ahead of the European Athletics Championships, to be held in Rome from June 7-12, 2024.
The new digital environment built especially for Roma 2024 was unveiled at the Centrale Nuvola Lavazza in Turin during the Metaverse Festival, organized by the National Association of Young Innovators, in collaboration with the European Parliament’s Italian Liaison Office.
“We are the only Italian sports event that has opened a space in the Metaverse,” stressed Paolo Carito, “and we should not talk about virtual reality because it is a real physical concept, which aims to overcome the limits of physicality itself. The Metaverse, in fact, will allow people from all over the world to experience the atmosphere of the European Athletics Championships at a distance and several months in advance of the start of the event.”
Project testimonial Larissa Iapichino has already inaugurated the Beta version of the Roma 2024 Metaverse with her avatar. Starting in the next few days on the Roma 2024 website, it will be possible to book to start exploring a preview of the digitally reproduced spaces of the Olympic and Foro Italico, accompanied remotely by animator-tutors who will guide people through the experience.
Roma 2024 also opens its doors to all those who wish to become active participants in the project, as animators. Task that will consist of guiding people in visiting the environments of the Metaverse. Applications can be submitted by emailing staff@roma2024.eu.