The Japan Sports Agency will provide financial support for sports leagues nationwide if they provide new services for spectators through IT and other methods, it has been learned.
The agency regards such projects as being eligible for subsidies. As event management and attendance continue to face a challenging environment amid the coronavirus pandemic -- which has forced restrictions on the number of spectators and other factors -- the agency is considering supporting the promotion of individual sports and helping organizers ensure revenue.
The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has earmarked 4.82 billion yen in its budgetary request for fiscal 2021 to implement support measures defined by the sports agency for "improving the spectating experience." The agency, an external organization that is part of the ministry, will set a ceiling for how much it will subsidize which could cover as much as half the cost of a new initiative.
The agency assumes applicants for the assistance initiative will include the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB), soccer's J.League and basketball's B.League. Services eligible for the subsidies include augmented reality (AR), through which player data is overlaid on the real-life action if special goggles are used, and projection mapping (PM), which projects colorful images on the walls of the venue to create an extraordinary atmosphere.
Other examples include paying for live broadcasts that can be viewed with VR technology. The agency will support attempts to create new sources of revenue, in an effort to discover innovative ideas. It will also help cover the costs for PCR and antigen tests for players and other people concerned as well as the costs for taking spectators' temperatures and expanding disinfection equipment.
Sports events are being held with a limited number of spectators and thorough anti-infection measures in line with government policy. The NPB eased the restriction on the number of spectators from within 5,000 to less than 50% of the capacity of a stadium, effective Sept. 19. The J.League will raise the number of spectators allowed from up to 30% of the stadium's capacity to 50% as early as the end of September.
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