As the Olympics fever grips the world and there is a good demand for various types of content and information for fans to keep tabs on their favourite teams, players and events, Facebook and the two platforms owned by it, Instagram and WhatsApp, are rolling out new features. They include a full-fledged Games hub, AR effects for Stories, and video highlights to keep you up to date.
Facebook's Olympic hub will have highlights from official Olympic broadcast partners, team and athlete overviews, explainers of competitions new to the Games, Olympic history, as well as posts from friends and more. Fans can visit the hub directly or by clicking on the #Olympics or #Tokyo2020 hashtags.
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AR effects on Instagram provide a new experience
Instagram will use AR effects and provide a new experience in both Stories and Reels. The AR effects are now accessible through the effects tabs on both @olympics and @Tokyo2020 accounts.
"In one AR effect, fans can attempt to mirror the movements of Miraitowa, the official Olympics mascot and earn AR medals for their performances. This effect is now available via the @olympics Instagram account." Another effect, available via the @Tokyo2020 Instagram account, features the official beat music of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Reels on the @instagram account will take fans behind the scenes with eleven Olympians.
Olympics chatbot on WhatsApp
Further, Facebook has come up with a new Olympics chatbot on WhatsApp. This will give out info on the Games schedule, information on local broadcasts, and the latest news and medal standings. The chatbot will also include official stickers and a quiz on the various Olympic events.
Facebook will also be directly and indirectly hosting video highlights from the Games throughout the event.
In select countries, fans will have access to highlights from Tokyo 2020, athlete profiles and interviews throughout the course of the Games via official Olympic broadcasters’ Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts.
"In select territories including India, Russia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Spanish-speaking Latin America, fans can see the day’s highlights from Tokyo on the official Olympics Facebook Page," it said.
